LIBRARY 
 
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 University of California. 
 
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JUSTO UCUNDONO, 
 
 PRINCE Ol 1 JAPAN 
 
 BY PHILALETHES. 
 
 BALTIMORE : 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN MURPHY & CO, 
 
 178 Market Street. 
 
 LONDON: CHARLES DOLMAN, 61 NEW BOND STREET. 
 
 SOLD BY BOOKSELLERS GENERALLY. 
 
 1 854. 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 
 
 JOHN MURPHY AND COMPANY, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of 
 Maryland. 
 
 C 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 Man was formed for truth. To enjoy it, is the natural 
 state of his godlike mind : to be imbued with error, is 
 a state of violence. The acquisition of truth, is, of 
 all things created, the first and most important object 
 of man's aspirations, by reason of the magnitude of 
 its results on his final destiny. Truth is that one thing 
 necessary, without which the whole world is of .no 
 value to man ; and the want of which nothing earthly can 
 supply. For, what good will all the systems of error, 
 which have been broached in the world, from the days 
 of the Serpent, till the hour of Anti-christ, do us, if we 
 have not the truth ? All these shall fail us in the end ; 
 truth alone will sustain our cause in the courts of earth 
 and heaven. The end of error is death, that of truth is 
 life eternal. Truth, then, every man is compelled to 
 seek, not singly, in virtue of his natural constitution, 
 and on principles of interest; but, by the irresistible 
 impulse of self-preservation. 
 
 Now Truth, like its Almighty Author is necessarily 
 one and indivisible. That it may seem manifold is evi- 
 dnet from the " history of the wanderings of the human 
 
iv PREFACE. 
 
 mind." To distinguish, then, the reality from its mere 
 appearance is a task much more difficult than some would 
 have us believe. Thousands, millions, have spent their 
 lives, groping amid shadows, and have died unable to grasp 
 the great reality. 
 
 This applies more especially to religious truth. The 
 world, in this phase, stands divided into hundreds of 
 jarring sects, each claiming truth as its especial birthright, 
 whilst reason declares aloud, that it is one, and can, 
 under no supposition, be manifold. There can be only 
 One God, the God of truth, and one truth, the truth of 
 God. 
 
 If the Almighty has marked out a road, which he 
 desires man to walk, to reach his appointed end, it is as 
 clear as the noonday sun, that other roads differing there- 
 from are wrong, essentially wrong; and that, however 
 inviting they may seem, he that treads them must 
 perish, ere he reaches the wished-for goal. The be- 
 neficent Creator has indeed bestowed upon us Reason, 
 to direct us through the mazes of error and doubt, 
 inseparable from the human condition, fallen and de- 
 graded as it is from its primitive state of innocence. But 
 this faculty cannot make that, which is wrong, right. It 
 may indeed discover to us the proper path, but can never 
 conduct us to our destination by an opposite one. It is 
 very possible for us, moreover, to mistake both guide and 
 road, and, whilst fancying ourselves conducted by reason 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 into the bright regions of light and truth, to pursue her 
 phantom only into the dark territories of ignorance and 
 error. Many are the clouds that obscure the road, and 
 obstruct the guide. Many are the causes that hinder us 
 from discovering the one, and profiting by the other. 
 
 To present a case where uncorrupted reason may have a 
 fair opportunity to conduct man, by her native powers, 
 and God's grace to his appointed end, — is the object of 
 the following pages. It is meant to show, that whenever 
 she properly applies herself to the solution of this great 
 Ethical problem, the invariable result must be, the dis- 
 covery of God's truth, be it natural or revealed. The 
 outlines of our plan may thus be briefly sketched— Justo 
 Ucundono, a young Japanese Prince, in order that the 
 resources of his mind may be developed, pure and uncon- 
 taminated by prejudice, is educated in a secluded valley, 
 Frenoxama, far from the crimes, the errors, and the 
 doubts of men. • Knowledge of every human science 
 calculated to give stability and character to thought is 
 imparted to him. From religious instruction of any kind, 
 he is carefully withheld. The name of the Deity, is no' 
 so much as mentioned in his presence. This restrict i 
 in his course of tuition, was deemed necessary to fac : to 
 and render successful the system of education suf jsted 
 by Prince Fugurundono, the chief tutor of your', Justo, 
 which proposed to keep the mind of the Prince aioof from 
 religious bias, and free from sectarian affection of any 
 
 1* 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 kind, so that his soul, being, as it were, a perfect blank 
 with regard to religious impressions, reason, aided by the 
 grace of God, might have the fairest scope to stamp upon 
 it the image of the true faith, when the proper moment 
 should have arrived. 
 
 When the prince had reached the years of maturity, 
 the great truths of Natural and Revealed religion 
 were unfolded before him. The existence of a Supreme 
 being, Creator and Ruler of the Universe; the immor- 
 tality of the soul; the existence of a future world; 
 the destiny of man; the doctrine of rewards and 
 punishments after death; the obligation of man towards 
 God, in the state of nature, and in the supposition of 
 revelation; the fact of revelation; the Creation and fall 
 of the angels, and of man ; his redemption, &c, are 
 minutely discussed, before the Prince and the Emperor 
 of Japan, by a Council of Divines assembled from all 
 parts of the world, and embracing representatives of 
 every known religious sect. 
 
 The truths of natural religion, and the fact of Reve- 
 lation having been established, the advocates of the 
 various systems of the latter, urge their respective 
 claims to Orthodoxy, before the Council. The Jews, 
 Christians, and Mahometans present the strongest argu- 
 ments. The Prince after deep reflection, decides in 
 favor of the Christian system. Next, the represen- 
 tatives of every shade and variety of Christianity appear, 
 
PREFACE. VU 
 
 to contest the palm of superiority. The two great rival 
 systems, whose tenets are, severally, founded on the 
 bases of Authority, and private judgment, are discussed 
 by their champions with great freedom and minuteness. 
 The Bible alone and the Teaching Church are brought 
 forward, front to front, carefully balanced, and are not 
 dismissed until the Bible alone be found wanting. St. 
 Francis Xavier, the renowned Apostle of the Indies 
 and Japan, representing the Cause of Authority, pleads 
 powerfully and convincingly in favor of the great 
 corporation, the Teaching Church. He convinces the 
 mind and affects the heart of Prince Justo, who forth- 
 with [decides in favor of Authority, in favor of a 
 Teaching Church, instructing in the name and by the 
 authority of the great infallible God. 
 
 To these results, did reason rightly applied lead the 
 Japonian prince, and to similar results will it lead 
 ninety-nine of every hundred sincere inquirers, actuated 
 by a like honesty, and endowed with the same per- 
 severance. 
 
 In the execution of our plan, we are aware that we 
 have occasionally drawn upon the kindly aid of friends. 
 This we have scrupled the less to do, having no 
 ambition but to aid the cause of truth unnoticed and 
 unknown. As we are not able, however, to specify- 
 when, where, or whose labors we have made use of, we 
 feel admonished of the propriety of here making a 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 general apology for all cases, and of pleading guilty in 
 advance to avoid litigation. 
 
 This little work lays no claim to literary excel- 
 lence. We have been less attentive to points of style, 
 than to matters of faith. The arguments being chiefly 
 advanced in the form of discourses, there is, in the 
 thoughts and language much of the amplification and 
 occasional redundancy, which in a written treatise would 
 be characterized as glaring defects, but which, in a 
 work designed to familiarly expound, cannot well be 
 avoided. 
 
 With these remarks, which we have deemed to be 
 necessary, the book is submitted to our friends and the 
 public. 
 
 October, 1853. 
 
fart $ix*L 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 
 
 Rosalia, a Christian virgin, is chosen to become the spouse of 
 the Emperor of Japan. — She hesitates at first, but finally consents, 
 as she is promised the privilege of educating her offspring in the 
 faith of the true God. — The nuptials are celebrated. — The Em- 
 peror takes the field, is victorious, returns. Justo Ucundono is 
 born. — Rosalia declines ; her death. — The Emperor's grief. 
 Prince Fugurundono. His consoling address to Nobunango... 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 
 
 The Emperor, accompanied by his son, visits Meaco, the birth- 
 place of Rosalia. — His dream reminding him of his promise. — He 
 convenes his Council. — Organization and departure of embassies 
 to all nations, for information concerning the true God. — Their 
 success. — Many maintain the plurality, some the unity of God. 
 The chief arguments by which these respective views were sup- 
 ported. — Perplexities of the Emperor and his Council. — Necessity 
 of revelation perceived 36 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PLAN OF EDUCATION. 
 
 God has at various times revealed himself to man — speaks to 
 all by the voice of reason — if this be obeyed, he will send us 
 other instructors. — Impediments to the general practice of truth 
 and virtue. — We are free to choose good or evil — first impediment, 
 self love — second, example — third, the force of education. — The 
 Emperor's perplexities. — Prince Fugurundono proposes a plan 
 which is adopted and acted upon 55 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 
 
 The Jaco's objections to Fugurundono's plan, they are dissi- 
 pated. — Mount Frenoxama. — Description of the ancient palace — 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 of the thirteen valleys— its inmates.— Exercises of the young 
 princes— their studies— amusements— domestic and scholastic dis- 
 cipline — distribution of their time 65 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONVENING OP THE COUNCIL. 
 
 Successful result of the peculiar education of Justo ; his ac- 
 complishments. — He grows pensive. — His fancy is in search of 
 the first cause of all things ; his heart and mind tell him that a 
 something is wanting. — The Emperor's arrival in the valleys. — He 
 is accompanied by five hundred divines, representatives of all 
 systems of religious worship. — Justo is bewildered. — Fugurundono 
 discloses to him the secret of his mysterious life, and confinement 
 in the Valley of Frenoxama. — Entrance of the Emperor. — He 
 meets, recognizes, and is overjoyed at his son 72 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 The imposing assemblage of Divines. — Among them is St. 
 Francis Xavier. — The great Council is opened by the Emperor in 
 person. — His Address. — A Jewish Rabbi proves the existence of a 
 Supreme Being from the existence of the Universe. — Illustration 
 from the palace of Frenoxama. — Defects in the structure of the 
 world, no argument against the existence of the Creator. — The 
 world is as its author intended it to be, perfect in its kind. — God's 
 existence proved further from man's existence ; also from the 
 universal opinion of nations. — Discomfiture of the Atheist. — 
 The Council adjourns 81 
 
 CHAPER VII. 
 
 IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Prince Justo's emotions at having found the Author of his 
 being. — Second meeting of the Council. — Address of Justo. — 
 The great difference between man and the brute, explained by 
 Xime'nes, by reason of the difference of their powers and facul- 
 ties ; man progressive, the brute stationary ; the brute for time, 
 man for eternity. — Simplicity and Immateriality imply eternal 
 duration. — The soul cannot perish, from natural or physical 
 causes. — Will not be annihilated. — The attributes of God, no 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 less than the faculties of man, forbid it. — Immortality proved by 
 the human desire thereof, by the wish for happiness. — The 
 justice of God requires another state of being to reward virtue 
 and punish vice. — Virtue and vice do not contain in themselves 
 their recompense and punishment 95 
 
 art Su0itK 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 
 
 Third meeting of the Council.— End of Creation, to manifest 
 the perfections of God. — Glory is internal and external, the one 
 cannot be augmented, the other may. — An intelligent mind is 
 necessary to glorify God in his works. — Man is the herald of his 
 fame. — God to be honored as after the manner of an earthly 
 prince. — Difference between good and evil deeds, determined from 
 their conformity with, or opposition to the nature of God and his 
 perfections ; established by the common consent of humanity. — 
 God must approve and commend the good — condemn and prohibit 
 the evil. — Man bound to do the former and to avoid the latter com- 
 prises a compendium of the law of nature. — Man has free will. — 
 He may yield or refuse obedience to this law. — This free will con- 
 stitutes the ground of merit and demerit 112 
 
 CHAPER IX. 
 
 ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISIIMENTS. 
 
 There are rewards and punishments after death, in order to 
 enforce upon earth the tenets of the natural law. — They must 
 be sufficient to persuade the will, without compelling it. — There 
 are none such in this life. — Then must there be in the next. — No 
 rewards worthy of virtue except those which are eternal. — Then 
 must the punishment of vice be everlasting. — The wicked soul is 
 as immortal as the just one. — It obtains no recompense — it then 
 must be visited with retribution. — No rewards sufficient to ensure 
 the observance of the law of nature, except those which are eter- 
 nal. — It becomes God to reward the good, and to punish the 
 evil. — Evil propensities are not inherent, but a corruption of 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 liberal feelings. — We have reason, by which to control them. — Our 
 evil inclinations must be repressed and overcome, otherwise 
 would society be subverted. — We should endeavor to follow 
 good. — Annihilation not a sufficient punishment for crime. — 
 Conclusion of Ximenes' argument 125 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 REVELATION. 
 
 The world a temple erected to the honor of the Deity. — Man is 
 its high priest, serving his Maker by his faculties. — This is his 
 natural worship — which he may offer unto him, until a positive 
 method shall have been prescribed. — Example from the case of 
 the Japanese Emperor. — God has revealed his will. — Revelation 
 not only practicable, but highly consonant with the character of 
 the Supreme Being. — He may reveal mysteries unto us ; these we 
 are bound to believe. — Mysteries not inconsistent with reason. — 
 Revelation necessary in the present state of the world. — Human 
 reason insufficient to guide man into the path of duty, proved by 
 the crimes extant among the Gentile world, and even counte- 
 nanced by their philosophers. — If revelation be necessary to the 
 fulfilment of our destiny, then has it been made 140 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE TEST OF REVELATION. 
 
 The wise of all antiquity have felt and acknowledged the 
 inefficiency of human reason as a guide to our destined end. — 
 Original sin the cause of the fall of the angels, and of their pun- 
 ishment. — Creation of man, and his fall, whence all our miseries 
 proceed. — If reason be insufficient to guide us, light from above 
 is necessary — if necessary, it has been given. — How shall we dis- 
 cover the true revelation. — Revelation is a fact that has occurred 
 — then must its character and veracity be determined as those of 
 other historical facts, and measured by the standard of human 
 testimony. — Such testimony may always be obtained. — The Em- 
 peror's speech — recapitulation of the points established. — Conclu- 
 sion of the fourth session of the Council 153 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 
 
 Opening of the fifth session — full attendance of members, 
 
CONTENTS. Xlll 
 
 and the interest evinced by them all. — Justo's appearance. — Fifty- 
 priests offer their systems of revealed religion. — Unable to stand 
 the test proposed by Philo, the Jew. — The Caliph explains the 
 doctrine of Mahomet. — Unable to prove the authenticity of the 
 mission of the Prophet, or the truth of the Alcoran. — Mahome- 
 tanism shown to be a corruption of Judaism, tinged with maxims 
 of Christianity, and varnished over with the allurements of Idola- 
 try — Its rapid progress and apparent success accounted for. — The 
 close connection of Judaism and Christianity. — Paul's exposition 
 of the history of true revelation. — It is threefold, the natural, 
 the written, and the Christian. — In substance they agree. — The 
 essential point in which the latter two differ — the written law 
 denotes a Saviour to come. — The law of grace presents him 
 as being present. — The truth of the one is the falsity of the 
 other 170 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE MESSIAH. 
 
 Characteristics of the Messiah. — He was foretold by the pro- 
 phets. — His advocates should be able to prove the fact of his 
 earthly sojourn. — They do prove it. — Why he has been acknowl- 
 edged by so few of the people to whom he was promised. — He is 
 followed by the Gentiles, and it was foretold that his own people 
 would desert him — which is a strong proof that he is the Christ. — 
 In Him are all the prophecies fulfilled. — His life, death and 
 resurrection. — As he foretold, he has established his spiritual 
 kingdom — whence the conclusion that he is the Christ. — The 
 Council assent.— Justo's speech — he rejects the Pagan Gods. — He 
 recapitulates the evidence of the Mahometan and Jewish sys- 
 tems. — He enumerates the foundations for the Christian belief. — 
 The wonders performed by Jesus — they could be performed by 
 none other than a God, or one empowered by him. — God could 
 never aid an impostor. — Then is he the true Messiah. — Justo's 
 decision. — Its reception by the Council. — Adjournment 184 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 The decision of the Prince creates much excitement, especially 
 among the Bonzas. — Justo preserves his equanimity. — Session of 
 the Council in the open air. — Various devices and inscriptions on 
 banners. — Each sect claims the true belief. — Is the Bible the guide 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 of faith. — Jesus never wrote, nor did he order to be written, the 
 Bible. — The Apostles wrote, on particular occasions, acciden- 
 tally. — The Book not designed as a religious guide. — Reasons for 
 this belief stated by Salmeron. — His opponents admit that it was 
 not the original mode of instruction. — Then why should the latter 
 be changed. — How prove the identity of the Book — how its in- 
 spired character. — The Saviour should have written, or caused to 
 be written, a book expressly for our guidance, did he wish that 
 we should be taught in this manner. — On the principle urged by 
 the dissenters, we are to deny the authority of the Manual.. ..199 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE INADEQUACY OP THE BIBLE. 
 
 How is the Bible to be used? — One passage contradicts another. — 
 Human constitutions are invariable, very specific, yet have a 
 judge and tribunal to expound their meaning. — If this be the 
 text-book, the constitution of heaven is obscure, vague and 
 uncertain. — The readers of the Bible cannot agree even upon 
 fundamental points. — It is a positive cause of difference in reli- 
 gious opinion. — Protestants, however, do not glean their faith 
 from its perusal, but, like Catholics, from the precepts of fathers, 
 mothers and teachers. — If we must hearken to some authority, it 
 is safer to hear the Catholic teaching in the name of the Church, 
 than individual ministers on their own responsibility. — Our 
 standard of faith must be safe, universal, within the reach of 
 all — Not such is the Bible. — Remarks of Justo and Nobunango.217 
 
 fart ®fcir&. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE TRUE GUIDE. 
 
 Opening of the Council's seventh session. — St. Francis Xavier 
 assists in its debates. — Religion is propagated by preaching in 
 God's name. — Apostolic witnesses of the works of Jesus. — These 
 are competent and trustworthy, and the facts they relate, plain 
 and obvious. — Promise of Jesus to establish a kingdom, foretold 
 by Daniel — the common opinion amongst the people. — He prepares 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 the world for the change. — He educates his disciples for their 
 future employment. — The kingdom was to be spiritual. — Hence 
 did he establish it after his mortal life was ended. — He proclaims 
 its character. — He ascends into heaven 231 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 
 
 The Charter comprises the nature, power, privileges and duties 
 of the spiritual kingdom. — By it, constituted One, Holy, Catholic, 
 Apostolic, Perpetual and Infallible. — The Apostles are to teach 
 all nations, of all countries, during all time. — This they fulfil by 
 their successors. — Infallibility is theirs in their corporate, not 
 individual capacity. — The Church is the Universal guide of men 
 of every time and clime. — Xavier's recapitulation. — Address of 
 Justo .....246 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 
 
 The Charter is confirmed on Pentecost. — Inauguration of the 
 Church. — Luke's version thereof. — We find it on this occasion, to 
 be One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible and Perpetual. — All 
 nations represented in Jerusalem, at the time of this great event. 
 — The first teaching of the Apostles. — Their first converts. — The 
 first Council of the Church — a model for future ages. — All subse- 
 quent Councils have acted in a similar manner. — The Apostles 
 preach the Gospel in different countries. They appoint assist- 
 ants, successors and ministers of the word. — Their Judicial 
 powers exercised on other occasions 262 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 
 
 As the Teaching Church was the guide established by Jesus, 
 none but He could change it. — When did he change it ? — The 
 Guide intended for all, must be adapted to all. — Such is not the 
 Bible, but such is the Teaching Church, which is suited to all 
 capacities, and fit for all countries. — It is the simple and natural 
 way to learn the truth. — The Church gives character to the Scrip- 
 tures — hence are the Protestants obliged to follow it, in spite 
 of themselves. — She, only, is its guardian, and hence its ex- 
 pounder 278 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 
 
 The true Church is Universal, from the nature of her constitu- 
 tion. — Universality belongs neither to the Eastern nor Protestant 
 Churches, hence they cannot be the true guide. — It is found emi- 
 nently, in the Church of Rome. — Unity, another necessary element 
 of the true Church, likewise characteristic of it. — Again, Apos- 
 tolicity a distinguishing mark of the Divine institution, one of its 
 most intimate parts. — Possessing then these essential requisites 
 of a guide, the Church of Rome is indeed the great earthly king- 
 dom of the Messiah. — The pretensions of others to this high 
 honor, unfounded and untenable 296 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF ROME — ITS CHIEF INFALLIBLE. 
 
 The nature of the function to be performed by the Teaching 
 Church, requires that it have a common organ, a centre of 
 unity. — Such an infallible organ has been established in the 
 Church founded on Mount Olivet, in the person of Peter. — 
 The circumstances of his appointment. — The character of his 
 office. — Its functions are actually exercised by him, and have 
 been since the death of the Saviour, -with the knowledge and 
 consent of the "whole Christian world. — Then, wherever Peter 
 is, there do we find the true establishment founded by Jesus 
 for the instruction of mankind 817 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 
 
 Peter is found in no denomination, except in the Roman Catholic. 
 It then is the true Church of the Saviour. — There Peter feeds the 
 lambs and the sheep, and confirms his brethren. — The wonderful 
 career of this spiritual monarch, — from Judea he extends his 
 dominion over the entire globe. — The fate of those who have risen 
 against him, or separated themselves from him. — The concluding 
 address of Justo. — His review of the whole. — He makes a solemn 
 profession of faith. — Many princes and five hundred divines fol- 
 low his example. — The dying confession and prayer of Rosalia, 
 the Empress. Council dissolved. Conclusion 330 
 
|«si0 Wit unpaid a. 
 
 PART I 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 
 
 Rosalia, a Christian virgin, is chosen to becon\e the spouse of 
 the Emperor of Japan. She hesitates at first, but finally 
 consents, as she is promised the privilege of educating her 
 offspring in the faith of the true God. The nuptials are cele- 
 brated. The Emperor takes the field ; is victorious — returns. 
 Justo Ucundono is born — Rosalia declines — her death. The 
 Emperor's grief. Prince Fugurundono. His condoling ad- 
 dress to Nobunango. 
 
 At the period during which the events of our tale 
 are supposed to take place, Japan was governed by 
 a monarch, under whose rule unexampled prosperity 
 was felt in every class throughout the empire. Un- 
 like other rulers of a people, in whose bosoms the 
 sacred fires of Christianity have never been kindled, 
 Nobunango possessed a generous heart, and a mind 
 stored with refined thoughts, almost incompatible 
 with his peculiar position, and religious creed. Al- 
 
26 JUSTO ITCUNDONO. 
 
 ways solicitous for the welfare of his subjects, his 
 character was that of the disinterested patriot, and 
 virtuous sovereign. Notwithstanding the idolatrous 
 worship, and semi-barbarous customs, prevalent 
 throughout his dominions, he looked upon many of 
 the latter, and especially upon Polygamy, with that 
 disgust with which refined taste ever recoils from 
 vulgar and licentious errors. Constituted thus, the 
 affections of his heart, after the happiness of his 
 people had been consulted, could naturally centre 
 themselves on one object only. 
 
 Rosalia, relative of a neighboring prince of renown, 
 had been converted to Christianity by a Portuguese 
 Merchant, previous to the advent of St. Francis 
 Xavier. Appreciating instinctively its divine truths, 
 and entering with the ardor of a young and enthu- 
 siastic soul, into the sublime emotions which the 
 contemplation of the attributes and teachings of the 
 Deity inspire, she added, moreover, the possession 
 of a well cultivated intellect, and personal attractions 
 of no common order. Accomplishments like these 
 could not allow their possessor to remain long 
 unnoticed. On a visit to the Court, the Emperor 
 was surprised at the extent of her acquirements, and 
 captivated by the graceful modesty of her demeanor. 
 His reflective mind soon perceived that she alone 
 was the best adapted among the ladies of his own 
 
HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 27 
 
 and surrounding Courts, to be the partner of his 
 life ; to share with him the pleasures and pains of 
 dominion, and moreover well calculated to inspire 
 that affection and esteem from all classes, which it 
 was his desire to secure and perpetuate. Eegardless 
 of the difference in rank by which she might have 
 been debarred from an alliance with a powerful 
 sovereign, he made a frank and earnest proffer of 
 his hand and heart to the youthful maiden. 
 
 Thus, like Esther of old, was Rosalia chosen from 
 thousands of her sex and condition, to become the 
 consort of the greatest of her nation. Yet, to the 
 surprise of her rivals, to the astonishment of all 
 parties, she modestly yet firmly declined the high 
 honor. In this, as may be supposed, she was 
 actuated by purely conscientious motives. To her 
 mind, union with a pagan, however lofty his posi- 
 tion, however rare his virtues, necessarily would 
 involve the abandonment of her adopted religion. 
 For this, no earthly power, however unbounded, 
 could compensate her. Preferring the service of 
 God, to the promptings of human affection, she 
 therefore, in courteous terms, signified to Nobu- 
 nango her resolution, and her reasons for her dis- 
 inclination to accept his proposal. 
 
 Master of the life and death of all Japanians, 
 the latter yet scorned the thought of using his 
 
28 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 power and position to the prejudice, and against 
 the inclinations of a helpless and unprotected 
 maiden. He despised the suggestions made him 
 by some of his counsellors, of forcing her to his 
 presence; but in the hope of convincing her mind 
 of the safety, and gaining her heart to consent to 
 his proposal, he sent her the following dispatch : 
 Nobunango to Rosalia : 
 
 U Should Princess Rosalia be able to mould her 
 heart to love Nobunango, the laurels of sixty 
 kingdoms are ready to enwreathe her brow. Her 
 wishes will be anticipated, her desires, whatever 
 they may be, granted. Her friends will be Nobu- 
 nango's friends ; and her enemies his enemies. Yet, 
 if her heart refuse the favor, let her again declare 
 it frankly. Nobunango will indeed complain of 
 his hard fate, but will never censure Rosalia's 
 candor, nor condemn her resolves." 
 
 The conscientious maiden returned this reply : 
 " Great Prince, there is between us an immense 
 chasm, which I fear, not even your own daring 
 soul will attempt to pass. Duty will prevent the 
 union of hearts, which affection proposes to join. 
 Nobunango adores the gods of Japan ; Rosalia can 
 only worship the one, true God. Blame her not, 
 gracious prince, for refusing to become the mother 
 of an idolatrous race !" 
 
HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 29 
 
 To this the Emperor answered — "Nobunango 
 does indeed worship the gods of his fathers, from 
 choice and conviction ; but he can likewise ap- 
 preciate the choice of others. Should Rosalia 
 desire to worship other powers, the Emperor will 
 never oppose her wishes, nay, will even yield to her 
 the free control over the training of her offspring." 
 
 " Deign, mighty prince," exclaimed the faithful 
 envoy of the princess, " deign to give me a suit- 
 able pledge for the fulfilment of this magnanimous 
 offer ?" 
 
 Nobunango seized the red pencil, and in presence 
 of his nobles, wrote the following oath : — " I, No- 
 bunango, swear by the gods of Japan, and my 
 imperial crown, that, if Princess Rosalia consent 
 to become my spouse, I will grant her full freedom 
 to worship such god or gods as she may desire, 
 together with the free and independent direction 
 of the education of her children ; and I forbid all 
 Japanians under penalty of my high displeasure, 
 ever to question the religious creed of herself or 
 offspring." This solemn- oath was transmitted to 
 the princess. She returned the laconic but accept- 
 able reply : " Great Prince, thou hast conquered. 
 Come and take thy prize !" 
 
 By order of the Emperor, the nuptials were 
 
 proclaimed and celebrated throughout all Japan, 
 
 3* 
 
30 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 with unusual pomp and ceremony. The rejoicings 
 continued for the space of thirty days. The gover- 
 nors of provinces, the lords of the empire, and the 
 princes of the blood repaired to Jeddo, to congratu- 
 late their happy sovereign, and to do him homage 
 in conjunction with their amiable and lovely Em- 
 press, who had now become the pride and joy, the 
 hope and expectation of the whole Empire. 
 
 Scarcely however were the festive ceremonies 
 happily concluded, when Nobunango was forced to 
 take the field against two rebels of considerable 
 resources, whose machinations had threatened his 
 very throne. In a twelve months' campaign he 
 completely routed their forces, restoring peace to 
 the Empire, and tranquility to society. He entered 
 triumphantly the Japanian Capitol. At its very 
 gates, he received the joyful intelligence that his 
 beloved Rosalia, had in his absence, that very day, 
 given birth to a young prince, and heir to the 
 throne. 
 
 It is easier to imagine than to describe the joy 
 which the advent of this little stranger diffused 
 not only throughout the court of the Capital, but 
 over all Japan. He was named Justo Ucundono. 
 
 But alas for the instability of human things ? 
 This bright and auspicious dawn of gladness and 
 prosperity, was doomed to set amid the gloomy 
 
HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 31 
 
 clouds of sadness and lamentation. Too soon, alas, 
 the house of mirth is changed into the house of 
 mourning ! 
 
 From the day on which Justo was born, the Em- 
 press began to decline. For a while, her youth and 
 vigor struggled with doubtful success against the 
 ravaging encroaches of the disease. At length, 
 however, the violence of the malady prevailed. 
 When she found her end approaching, she sent for 
 the Emperor, whom she thus addressed : " Great 
 and generous prince, my hour has come. My failing 
 strength bids me prepare to meet the last event of 
 my earthly career. 0, why can I not live for thee 
 and my guiltless babe ? But God is just ; he wrongs 
 me not in taking back the life he gave me. ' The 
 Lord gave and the Lord has taken away ; may his 
 name be blessed forever.' I long to meet the author 
 of my being in his own bright realms of bliss, where 
 the sun of heaven never sets. Fare thee well, my 
 noble Lord, fare thee well ! Thy spouse, when dead 
 to earth, shall live for thee in heaven. 0, couldst 
 thou but bring thy heart to worship the God of thy 
 Rosalia, with what fond anticipation could she then 
 await thy coming at the gates of Paradise !" And, 
 turning to Justo, who was now presented to her, she 
 continued : " And thou, noble boy, farewell forever, 
 fare thee well ! Too soon, art thou doomed to be an 
 
32 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 orphan ! But thy generous father liveth. His great 
 soul will fill a mother's as well as a father's place." 
 "Nobunango," she exclaimed, " who now shall edu- 
 cate my child in the knowledge of the one true 
 God?" The disconsolate Emperor replied: "Ro- 
 salia, be at peace ! I bind myself before the immor- 
 tal god3 to perform for thee that holy task. Thy 
 dying request is a sacred command for me and all 
 Japan." He could say no more, but sank senseless 
 into the arms of his dying spouse. Then Rosalia 
 gathering all her strength, feebly uttered, "It is 
 well, I die in peace." "It was the last of earth." 
 Her beautiful head hung like the drooping lily of the 
 vale, and she breathed no more. 
 
 When the Emperor recovered, her spirit had 
 winged its flight to the throne above. Again and 
 again did he press her lifeless form to his throbbing 
 heart ; again and again did he call on the name of 
 his departed wife ; but she answered him not. The 
 grief of the parent communicated itself to the son, 
 and little Justo wept ; but his tears comprehended 
 not the cause for which they flowed. Retiring to the 
 interior of the palace, Nobunango gave himself up 
 to the full indulgence of grief, refusing not only the 
 mildest condolence, but even all bodily nourishment. 
 Apprehensions for his life became general amongst 
 his friends. A sorrowful gloom hung heavily on 
 
HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 33 
 
 every brow. His attendants, forcing their way into 
 his presence, refused to leave him, until he would 
 consent to rise, and mitigate his excessive grief. 
 The Emperor at length complied with the wishes of 
 his devoted servants, but he still preferred commu- 
 nion with the dead, rather than with the living. 
 Prince Fugurundono stepped forward to console him. 
 JFugurundono was a venerable sage, one of the 
 oldest and most trustworthy of the Emperor's house- 
 hold. He spoke to the following effect. " Afflicted 
 Prince, if heartfelt sorrow like thine could summon 
 back the dead, Rosalia would live again. All Japan 
 weeps for the death of thy beloved spouse ; but tears 
 can not recall to life the spirit that has fled to the 
 immortal gods. If this affliction were the works of 
 man, thou wouldst be privileged to resent and 
 avenge; but the rulers of the heavens are not ac- 
 countable for their deeds to the feeble sons of earth. 
 Weep on, thou noble Prince ! Give vent to the just 
 emotions of a generous soul, too sorely wounded. 
 Thy bereavement calls for more tears than thou, or all 
 in thy country, can shed ; but they cannot reverse 
 thy fate. It is permitted, it is praiseworthy, to weep. 
 It is manly to show that we feel as mortals ought to 
 feel. Yet I must entreat thee, for thy own, and thy 
 people's sake, to moderate this excessive sorrow. 
 Whilst thou art sad, thy friends and servants cannot 
 
34 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 be happy. The Gods have taken away their beloved 
 Empress ; oh, spare them, at least, thy own precious 
 life ? Love Rosalia still, ever cherish her memory ; 
 but immoderate sadness cannot benefit the dead, and 
 deeply afflicts the living. If, in the realms of bliss, 
 thy departed spouse can still feel an interest in our 
 concerns here below, and if the lot of mortals can 
 affect disembodied spirits, our sorrows must needs 
 grieve her heart. Rosalia is. not dead, but liveth 
 with the gods. Why then lament her as amongst 
 the dead ? Does not Justo live ? Is not he bone of 
 her bone, and flesh of her flesh, and blood of her 
 blood ? May not he take his mother's place in thy 
 affections ? Canst thou behold him without behold- 
 ing her ? Canst thou love him without loving her ? 
 The purest love shines forth in action. In action 
 then thou must hereafter prove thy love for her. 
 Justo is to be educated in the knowledge of the one 
 true God. This was Rosalia's dying request ; this 
 is thy own solemn oath. Keep it then faithfully. 
 It will be a stronger pledge of thy affection for the 
 memory of thy wife, of thy love of her offspring, 
 and of thy fidelity to the gods, than a life-time of 
 weeping, an ocean of tears, could afford." 
 
 Fugurundono succeeded in restoring Nobunango 
 to his wonted calmness of demeanor, and strength 
 of mind. Again he went among his bereft people, 
 
HISTORY OF ROSALIA. 35 
 
 consoling them for their loss, as best he could. But 
 his heart was sad, and his spirits depressed. Rosalia 
 was no more ! Day and night her image stood be- 
 fore him. Her memory was constantly in his heart, 
 and her name ever on his lips. Pagan though he 
 was, " he made a covenant with his eyes not to think 
 of another maiden." Justo was committed to the 
 watchful care, and kindly guidance of Prince Fu- 
 gurundono. No Lord in all Japan was more worthy 
 the sacred trust. 
 
36 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 
 
 The Emperor, accompanied by his son, visits Meaco, the birth- 
 place of Rosalia. His dream, reminding him of his promise. 
 He convenes his Council. Organization, and departure of embas- 
 sies to all nations, for information concerning the true God. 
 Their success. Many maintain the plurality, some the unity of 
 God. The chief arguments by which these respective views were 
 supported. Perplexities of the Emperor and his Council. Neces- 
 sity of revelation perceived. 
 
 Six long years had now elapsed since the death of 
 the lamented Rosalia, during which time Justo had 
 grown a sprightly boy, whose equal all Japan could 
 not produce. He was Nobunango's pride, and the 
 nation's fondest hope. Already he began to fill the 
 gloomy void in his father's heart, created by his 
 mother's early decease. 
 
 It happened about this time that the Emperor 
 resolved on visiting, in company with his son, the 
 ancient capital of the empire, the renowned city of 
 Meaco, the birthplace of the deceased Empress. 
 Declining all public demonstration, he was yet 
 unable to restrain the private outpourings of over- 
 flowing gratitude. Never was reception more cordial 
 or sincere than that which he and the young prince 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 37 
 
 met from the grateful and loyal people of Meaco. 
 It was the spontaneous prompting of affectionate 
 hearts ; not the cold formality of calculating minds. 
 This well-timed exhibition of loyalty, made a deep 
 impression upon their sovereign, and is even yet 
 gratefully remembered by his successors. The 
 palace was surrounded by a rejoicing multitude 
 till a late hour of the night. 
 
 When the Emperor entered the apartment where 
 he had first met his lost Rosalia, the recollections 
 of the past completely overpowered him. At first he 
 abandoned himself to the excesses of uncontrollable 
 anguish ; after which, a deep melancholy settled on 
 his mind. All the painful wounds which her death 
 had caused, and which time had now partially 
 healed, were opened anew, and with increasing 
 anguish, forced their way to his heart. On the 
 third day of his sojourn at Meaco, he had the 
 following remarkable dream. It seemed to him, 
 that, surrounded by his nobles, he was enjoying 
 the evening breeze at the twilight, in the royal 
 gardens of Anzuequeana. Justo, seated by the 
 side of a fountain, was playing with his lamb. 
 The Emperor perceived at the distance the figure 
 of a beautiful woman moving lightly through the 
 shade of a verdant grove. He pursued the phan- 
 tom with eagerness, anxious to discover who it 
 
 4 
 
88 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 might be, that at an hour so unseasonable, had 
 thus presumed to intrude upon his solitude. But 
 her swiftness eluded his efforts. The apparition 
 had drawn him aside from the company towards 
 the east of the gardens. On a sudden, Rosalia, 
 his own loved but departed wife, stood before him, 
 with that majestic dignity and condescending mood, 
 with which she was wont to greet him in the days 
 of her youth and joy. Nobunango attempted to 
 clasp her in his arms, but her form, like the shadow, 
 offered no resistance. "Nobunango," said she, 
 "thou canst not touch me with mortal hands, but 
 may'st hear my voice, and thus commune with my 
 spirit. For thee and my son I have come from the 
 realms of bliss. I have come on the part of the 
 God of heaven, to remind thee of the pledge thou 
 gavest thy dying spouse, to have Justo, our child, 
 educated in the knowledge of the Supreme God. 
 Fulfil this oath, and thou wilt have secured the 
 favors of my Sovereign Lord, and the blessings of 
 thy departed wife I" Having spoken thus, she 
 vanished, and the Emperor awoke. With the flight 
 of the phantom his melancholy had ceased. His 
 sorrow was assuaged, and his afflicted brain reposed 
 tranquilly after this unlooked-for consolation. 
 Habitual cheerfulness and elasticity of spirits 
 regained their ascendancy over him. The presence 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 39 
 
 of the spirit of Rosalia had pervaded his soul with 
 an ineffable and heretofore unknown delight. 
 Resolved forthwith to obey the suggestion of his 
 dream, on the following day he convened an extra 
 council of his ministers and nobles, to consult with 
 them on the proper course to adopt in the fulfilment 
 of his important oath. 
 
 The Council having met in obedience to the 
 Emperor's orders, he addressed them in the following 
 terms. — "My Lords, at the couch of my dying 
 spouse, I promised, solemnly, to cause her offspring 
 to be educated in the worship of the Supreme God 
 of heaven. This shall be my first tribute to the 
 memory of Rosalia, as it is my greatest obligation 
 to the gods. But how can this sacred task be 
 fulfilled ? Ignorant as I am of the name, as well 
 as of the attributes of this infinite being — a stranger 
 to his laws and precepts, I know not how I may be 
 enabled to serve him, by the direction of my son's 
 religious education. I know not where to find, or 
 how to seek him. It is for you, my lords, in the 
 wisdom of your united suggestions, to devise some 
 plan by which I may be enabled to discharge this 
 important trust." 
 
 " This promise, Emperor," observed one of the 
 nobles, " is easy of fulfilment. Xaca is the supreme 
 God of heaven. Cause Justo to be instructed in 
 
40 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 his precepts, and acquainted with the manner of 
 worshipping him, and thou wilt have fully complied 
 with the requirements of this most irrefragable 
 bond." "Not so," interrupted another counsellor, 
 " Amida is the chief deity of Japan. The laws and 
 teachings which he ordains are the only ones by 
 which mortals should be governed. This mode of 
 worship is alone worthy the heir of the Japanian 
 Empire." When each of the council had concluded 
 his argument for the excellence of his celestial 
 patron and favorite god — when all had pleaded 
 the special merits, and displayed the beauties and 
 attractions of their particular law, the Jaco, chief of 
 the Bonzas, and supreme pontiff of the empire, rose 
 to address the assembly! He was a man of candid 
 deportment, liberal opinions, and acute perceptions ; 
 and was regarded by all as the most learned of the 
 sages of the empire. He said, — " My lords, by 
 what presumption can we venture to palm our own 
 doubtful theories on the minds of others, as the 
 conclusions of infallibility ? Neither the systems of 
 Xaca, of Amida, nor the doubtful vagaries of the 
 god Canon, can stand the test of inquiring reason. 
 Who are we, that we should thus attempt to enslave 
 the unimpaired mind of man by our contracted ideas, 
 and confine its action by chaining it down to earthly 
 theories ? With me, the investigation of the science 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 41 
 
 of the gods, and of their decrees, has been the 
 laborious study of fifty years ; and the older I grow, 
 and the more matured become my reflections, the 
 more my judgment condemns the bases of the 
 religious systems by which I am surrounded. And 
 of all the creeds which now obtain in the empire, 
 there is not one whose adoption I would recommend 
 to my young prince on this solemn occasion, But 
 we have heard of other gods besides those of Japan, 
 yet what nation beyond our own, I would ask, know 
 aught of Xaca, Amida, or Canon, of their rank in 
 heaven, or of their authority on earth ? Two great 
 systems divide the religious world ; the one based 
 upon the unity, the other upon the plurality of gods. . 
 Among the advocates of the former creed, the J- 
 Hebrew, the Christian, and the Mahometan stand 
 conspicuous. The supporters of the latter comprise 
 the Japanese, the Chinese, the Indians, and the 
 other nations of the East. Are both systems 
 acceptable to the gods, and suitable for the guidance 
 of men ? or is there but one true doctrine for all, 
 others differing from these being obnoxious to 
 heaven, and injurious to the good of the human 
 race ? Is the road to heaven one and the same, for 
 all the children of the earth, or are there many 
 paths, all leading to the same universal goal ? 
 
 4* 
 
42 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 These are questions for the solution of which I 
 am utterly unprepared and incompetent. 
 
 " Should the Emperor, however, desire to have my 
 views on this all-important subject, I shall advance 
 them with that freedom of speech, and disregard of 
 established usage, which the sublime nature of our 
 meditations seems to demand, which the Emperor 
 has a right to expect, and which my own position 
 and character necessarily require." "Your re- 
 marks," said Nobunango, " will be listened to with 
 pleasure, and your propositions received with that 
 attention they so well deserve." " I would suggest 
 then," continued the Jaco, " the selection and ap- 
 pointment of an embassy of wise Japanians, such 
 as are skilled in the knowledge of divine and human 
 law, to visit the Chinese, the people of India, and 
 of the neighboring borders, and likewise to the He- 
 brew, the Christian, and the Mahometan countries. 
 Let our wise men consult the sages of those nations 
 concerning their gods, their mode of worship, and 
 every thing connected with the investigation of this 
 mysterious subject. Let them collect the information 
 which maybe imparted to them, and fully report the 
 same to the Emperor, and his august council. By 
 comparison of the inferences of their various deli- 
 berations, we may be enabled to discover which of 
 the rival deities possesses the highest claim to the 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 43 
 
 supreme godhead, and consequently which religious 
 creed is the most conformable to reason, and the 
 best adapted to the condition of man. Let the God 
 thus found be the God of Justo, and let the worship 
 of him prevail in Japan !" 
 
 This wise and dignified proposal received the most 
 lively attention, and created a powerful impression. 
 It was unanimously adopted by Nobunango and his 
 council, and straightway acted upon. Splendidly 
 equipped embassies, composed of men the most emi- 
 nent for piety and learning in Japan, were organized 
 and appointed in a manner worthy the extent of the 
 empire, and the national character of its inhabitants. 
 They were sent to thirty of the principal nations of 
 the earth, and furnished with the following instruc- 
 tions, decided upon by the council, subscribed by the 
 Emperor, and stamped with the great seal of the 
 empire. 
 
 "The greeting of Nobunango, Emperor of the 
 Japanian Islands, to the mighty nations of the 
 earth ! Receive ye nations my envoys, and let them 
 converse with your sages, that, together, they may 
 solve the following propositions, which we cannot." 
 
 1st. Is a nation free to worship whatever god its 
 inhabitants may choose? 
 
 2nd. Are the gods of heaven many, or is there 
 but one supreme God to be worshipped by all men? 
 
44 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 3rd. If there is but one deity, who is this supreme 
 God of heaven whom all should adore ? 
 
 In less than twenty days after the adoption of the 
 plan of the Jaco, all the ambassadors had departed 
 on their novel and interesting mission. The deputa- 
 tions were received by the various nations of the 
 earth, with unusual pomp and ceremony, and every 
 facility was afforded them, for the accomplishment 
 of their objects to their utmost satisfaction. The 
 sovereigns of those countries, which they visited, as 
 well as the divines, philosophers, and learned men 
 thereof, vied with each other in furnishing them all 
 the aid and information calculated to facilitate and 
 expedite their great task. The generous assistance 
 which they every where received, enabled them to 
 accomplish their objects in a comparatively brief 
 space of time. 
 
 It was scarcely twenty months after their depar- 
 ture when the last embassy returned to the imperial 
 city. No sooner had the Emperor been advised of 
 their return, laden with intellectual treasures from 
 every country of the globe, than he again convoked 
 his council, for the purpose of receiving the various 
 replies to the momentous inquiries which had been 
 proposed. 
 
 On the day appointed it was re-opened with great 
 ceremony by the Emperor himself, surrounded by 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 45 
 
 his nobles and court. He received the report of 
 each embassy separately. The deepest interest was 
 evinced in the proceedings by the entire city of 
 Jeddo. The chief of each deputation handed to the 
 Emperor a sealed reply to the proposed queries, as 
 believed by the sages of the country which he had 
 visited. These despatches were then publicly opened. 
 The substance of the various replies, was substanti- 
 ally thus. The first question which had been 
 submitted: "Are the gods of heaven many, or is 
 there but one supreme God for all nations" — was 
 answered by the Doctors of the Chinese, the Tartars, 
 the Indians, the Hindoos, in a manner materially 
 the same. It was as follows : 
 
 " The gods of heaven are many ; the thought of 
 only one God for all the races of men is an unnatural 
 absurdity." 
 
 This conclusion they endeavored to sustain by 
 these arguments : "Each region of the earth enjoys 
 its particular climate. The soil of every country 
 yields its peculiar productions. All nations have 
 languages of their own, as they have moreover their 
 generic customs. Upon this universal principle of 
 adaptation of productions to special wants, we think 
 it but natural to suppose that in the gratification of 
 the highest earthly demand, the various necessities 
 of the several nations should entitle them each to a 
 
46 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 particular Deity, by whom their interests might be 
 guarded and their prosperity more surely advanced." 
 
 " Profound inference," exclaimed one of the 
 princes, " because in India it is hot, and in Tartary 
 cold ; because in one region they produce rice, and 
 in the other obtain oranges, therefore each nation 
 must have its own Divinity. Why not demand of 
 kind nature suns and moons of their own ?" 
 
 The second question propounded : " Is a nation 
 free to worship whatever gods its inhabitants may 
 choose?" was answered by the same nations as thus : 
 
 " Every one is bound to worship the gods of his 
 own country for the following reasons. The produc- 
 tions of every clime suit best the people of that 
 clime, and the language and customs of a people are 
 the most useful for those among whom they prevail. 
 So the gods of India are the best adapted to the 
 Indians, and the gods of China are the most con- 
 venient for the Chinese. The celestial rulers of 
 Japan should command the adoration of its inhabi- 
 tants. The introduction of foreign gods into the 
 empire would be an act of treason against the native 
 deities of the land, and, moreover, it would be 
 incompatible with the honor, and derogatory to 
 the dignity of a free and independent people, to 
 search elsewhere, mendicant like, their immortal 
 sovereigns." 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 47 
 
 Though these ridiculous sophisms did by no means 
 convince, yet they flattered the natural pride of the 
 haughty nobles, who would fain have acted on them. 
 But Prince Fugurundono decided the matter by a 
 simple remark, which had the effect of showing this 
 foolish argument in its really ludicrous colors. 
 " These sapient thinkers," said he, " have come to 
 the sage conclusion, that because we have the mis- 
 fortune of being saddled on an ass, we are yet bound 
 to ride him ; since the mounting a horse would 
 derogate from the dignity of the former animal, and 
 argue disrespect on the part of its rider." 
 
 " The third question : " If there is but one Deity^ 
 who is this supreme God of heaven whom all should 
 adore?" was not answered with the same unanimity 
 with which the preceding queries had been deter- 
 mined. Each of the Pagan nations claiming this 
 honor for its favorite Deity, not even any two uniting 
 upon the same celestial candidate. 
 
 After these replies had been received as the con- 
 clusions of the before mentioned races, the council 
 proceeded to the examination of the opinions of the 
 Jewish Sanhedrim, which were expressed as follows : 
 
 To the first question, of the existence of the 
 Almighty. " There is but one supreme God, creator 
 and ruler of the universe, and of all peoples and 
 tribes therein." 
 
48 .TUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 To the second question, concerning the freedom 
 of worship. "No, this Lord, Creator, and ruler of 
 the universe is to be worshipped by all the nations 
 of the earth, and none beside him. 'I am the Lord 
 thy God, and thou shalt not have strange gods 
 before me.' " 
 
 To the third question, regarding the identity of 
 the Deity. "The mighty Jehovah, ' I am who I am,' 
 who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and 
 descended upon the smoking mountain of Sinai, with 
 the tables of the law. This God has revealed him- 
 self at various times to man, manifesting to him his 
 will and pleasure. He has at length given a written 
 law to a particular people, the descendants of the 
 faithful Abraham, whom he had selected as the 
 depository of his promises, and as his organ in the 
 dispensation of his favors to the rest of mankind. 
 But as he is the God of all nations, and since in all 
 creatures his benefits and mercies are to be bestowed, 
 this law of Sinai is merely a temporary code, obliga- 
 tory on one people only, the children of Israel, and 
 is but preparatory to a more perfect dispensation, 
 which is destined for all men and for all ages ! This 
 new law will be proclaimed by the Christ, the great 
 Messiah, whom we await. Till He shall have de- 
 scended from on high, to proclaim His final pleasure, 
 the law of Sinai is the only authorized exponent of 
 

 EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 49 
 
 the will of heaven, the only rule for human guidance, 
 the only standard of human conduct." 
 
 "The Jewish doctrine," exclaimed the philosopher 
 Frico, " is the doctrine of reason and common sense. 
 The idea of God suggests to us a being supreme over 
 all other powers, and independent of all things. 
 Less than this he is not God. Let us now suppose 
 that there are two or more gods. These are either 
 dependent on, or independent of each other. If one 
 be dependent on the other, he cannot be God, as the 
 idea of subjection is incompatible with that of the 
 Deity. But, if each be independent of the other, 
 each, not being supreme, cannot be God either. 
 Hence there is, and can be but one God." 
 
 "Why not grant," observed the Cubo, " that each 
 god shall be independent of the other, and confine 
 himself to his own province, without interfering with 
 the concerns of the other ?" " In that case," replied 
 the philosopher, "there would be no God at all, 
 since none would be supreme, which idea of supre- 
 macy, above all others, is inseparable from that of 
 God. Judgment then, and the universal sense of 
 mankind can only sanction the one God, sovereign 
 and Master of all." 
 
 This conclusion was further confirmed by the 
 
 Caliph of Bagdad. To the first question he replied : 
 
 " In the name, and by the authority of Mohammed, 
 
 5 
 
50 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 there is but one God, one paradise, one prophet. 
 God is God, and Mohammed is his Prophet." To 
 the second question he replied : " No, all nations are 
 bound to worship the God of the prophet, and to 
 obey the teaching of the Koran. Under this decree 
 shall all infidels be made to bow their necks, either 
 by persuasion or by the cimitar." To the third 
 question the response of the Caliph was : " There 
 is no God, but the God, adored by the children of 
 the desert, and followers of the prophet, and that 
 God is necessarily one." Then followed the demon- 
 stration of this theorem, in which analogous argu- 
 ments to those employed by Taico, were advanced. 
 It read, " God is essentially omnipotent and free, 
 and a being not comprising in his nature these 
 elements, cannot enter into our idea of an eternal 
 and supreme ruler. Now such a being can be but 
 one. Supposing there be two, then each, being 
 free, can will as he pleases ; and by virtue of his 
 sovereignty, can execute what he wills ; hence, we 
 have two sources of volition, and two motive agents. 
 If now the one will the creation, the other the non- 
 creation of this world, we have the exercise of two 
 independent powers, supported by their respective 
 means of execution ; or we have omnipotence against 
 omnipotence. Which is to prevail ? If by any pos- 
 sibility the one, the second loses the divine criterion, 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 51 
 
 being unable to obtain his desire. If the latter, 
 however, prevail, for the same reason, is the former 
 despoiled of his sovereign attributes. The Universe 
 necessarily must or must not exist, there being in 
 this case no medium. From these facts the Unity 
 of the supreme God of Heaven is evidently percep- 
 tible." 
 
 After the consideration of the Mahometan solu- 
 tion, the report of the Christian embassy was taken 
 up. It was evident that its reply was awaited by 
 the Council with more than usual anxiety, and 
 that its consideration would be invested with much 
 greater interest, than had been those of any of the 
 foregoing nations. It was well known that the 
 ambassadors of Nobunango had been received by the 
 Christian nations with unusual ceremony, and had 
 been treated by them with the utmost respect and 
 attention. They, above all other nations, seemed to 
 have fully appreciated the importance, and properly 
 estimated the motives, of this unusual mission. 
 Moreover, it was now remembered by many, that 
 it was on the God of the Christians, that their 
 lamented Empress was wont to call. 
 
 The answer of the pontiff of the Christians, which 
 was sealed by the ring of the fisherman, read thus. 
 " The successor of the fisherman, to Nobunango, the 
 wise and lenient Monarch of the Japanian Empire — 
 
52 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 health and apostolic benediction in the name of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ" — "Illustrious Prince! Your 
 serene ambassadors have handed us your important 
 problems, that we might answer them according to the 
 wise spirit of the Christian law, for the guidance of 
 your imperial mind ; now, therefore, see our solutions : 
 " To your first query — ' Are the gods of heaven 
 many, or is there but one Supreme God, to be 
 worshipped by all men V We believe, and two 
 hundred millions of souls believe with us, in one 
 God, Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. 
 
 " To your second query — i Is a nation free to 
 worship whatever gods its inhabitants may choose ? 
 We answer, No, — The God, Almighty, Creator of 
 Heaven and Earth, in whom we believe, is to be 
 worshipped and adored by all nations on the face of 
 the globe. 
 
 " To your third and most important query — < Who 
 is this Supreme God of Heaven whom all should 
 adore? — we reply, That same God, Almighty, in 
 whom we Christians believe, and whom we worship 
 with our whole soul, and our whole mind, and our 
 whole strength ; for beside him there is no true god 
 by whom man can be saved." 
 
 To this was added. — " This God, Almighty, in 
 whom the Christians believe, is that same God, that 
 formerly appeared to Abraham ; that gave his law 
 
EMBASSIES APPOINTED. 53 
 
 to Moses ; that spoke through the prophets ; and 
 that promised his Christ. He is the same who has 
 sent Christ into the world ; who has abrogated the 
 law of Sinai, and substituted a new law, which is 
 intended for, and binding on, all the tribes of the 
 earth. And this law, 0, Emperor, is none other 
 than the Christian law, which we obey." 
 
 This reply was listened to by the assembly in 
 profound silence, and heard with the highest respect. 
 At the conclusion of its perusal, the Emperor bowed 
 his head, and lowered his sceptre in token of his 
 appreciation of the importance of the opinions of 
 the successor of St. Peter. The reading of the 
 despatch had made a deep impression on the mind 
 of every member present ; yet doubt and perplexity 
 were depicted on their countenances. They had 
 received the reports of thirty of the most civilized 
 nations of the earth, on questions, fraught with un- 
 usual interest to every human being ; and not any 
 two of them, could be found, whose views thereon 
 coincided in detail. It is true, that the Hebrews, 
 the Christians, and the Mahometans, agreed with 
 regard to the Unity of the Deity, but they differed 
 widely as to the mode of worshipping him. The 
 remainder of the various nations were divided in 
 their views, not only as to the nature of the Deity, 
 
 and to a still greater extent, as respected the proper 
 
 5* 
 
54 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 form of religious homage, but likewise as to his very- 
 identity ; each of them having peculiar gods of their 
 own. After the inspection of so many conflicting 
 and dissimilar statements, the wisest of the council 
 declined suggesting to the Emperor a word of 
 advice, as to the course he should pursue in the 
 education of Prince Justo. 
 
 Nobunango himself, partook of the perplexity 
 which agitated the thoughts of his counsellors. 
 " Immortal gods," he exclaimed, "why have you 
 not revealed to us clearly and distinctly who, what, 
 and how many you are? Can ye delight in per- 
 plexing the minds, and in saddening the hearts of 
 mortal creatures? Are the Chinese, the Indians, 
 and our own forefathers right, in assuring us that 
 ye are many? Or must we give credence to the 
 Children of Moses, the disciples of Christ, and the 
 followers of the prophet, when they tell us that you 
 are one, in nature and substance ? Speak ! immor- 
 tal gods ! Speak in a voice of thunder, that all the 
 children of men may know your decision ?" 
 
PLAN OF EDUCATION. 55 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PLAN OP EDUCATION. 
 
 God has at various times revealed himself to man. Speaks to all 
 by the voice of reason. If this be obeyed he will send us 
 other instructors. Impediments to the general practice of 
 truth and virtue. We are free to choose good or evil. First 
 impediment, self-love. Second, example. Third, the force of 
 education. The Emperor's perplexities. Prince Fugurundono 
 proposes a plan, which is adopted and acted upon. 
 
 After this irrepressible outburst from Nobunango, 
 the Jaco exclaimed, " Do not, mighty prince, thus 
 censure the gods, for our ignorance and misde- 
 meanors. The Children of Moses have told you, 
 that their Jehovah has at various times revealed 
 himself to his favored people. The followers of 
 Christ have repeated the same ; and both statements 
 have been confirmed by the disciples of Mahomet." 
 
 " But why," said Nobunango, " have not the gods 
 communicated their wishes to the Japanese likewise ? 
 Are not we, as well as other nations, their children ? 
 Why is it, that they seem to have thus overlooked 
 us in the dispensation of their celestial favors ? " 
 " How can it be said," returned the Jaco, " that in 
 this respect we have been forgotten by the gods, 
 isolated though we be from the family of nations ? 
 
56 JUSTO UCFNDONO. 
 
 They have ever spoken to our hearts, and to those 
 of our fathers by the mighty voice of reason. By 
 implanting in our nature, an ever-acting conscience, 
 they have pointed out to us that which is right from 
 that which is wrong, — what may be done, and what 
 should be avoided. Had we hearkened to the voice 
 of conscience, and obeyed the promptings of reason, 
 we would doubtless have been favored with other 
 messengers from the realms above, detailing the 
 special desires of our immortal sovereigns. But, as 
 we have not appreciated, but neglected this first 
 earnest of spiritual happiness, and eternal life, 
 bestowed upon us by the gods, they have, with 
 justice, withheld that more ample revelation, which 
 in the event of our obedience, they had no doubt, 
 purposed. Let us begin at once, to deserve this 
 mark of the divine favor, by walking steadfastly 
 after that light which the gods have kindled in our 
 souls, and a brighter sun will rise to diffuse the 
 glorious rays of celestial truth over our now unen- 
 lightened minds. I have examined the records of 
 the messages of the heavenly powers, among various 
 nations, and I must confess, that I have yet to learn 
 the name of that people, to whom the celestial rulers 
 of the universe have not signified their commands at 
 some one period, and in some effectual manner. 
 But, wayward and infatuated, many of them heeded 
 
PLAN OF EDUCATION. 57 
 
 not these harbingers of their everlasting felicity, and 
 scornfully despised the aid, so generously proffered 
 them. The consequence has been, that those who 
 have obeyed these holy warnings have reaped the 
 fruits of their righteousness in unexampled earthly 
 prosperity, and in the certainty of a never-ending 
 glory, in the regions above, whilst they whose dis- 
 torted vision induced them to prefer transient and 
 mundane pleasure to a perpetuity of immortal joy, 
 have gathered the harvest of their folly, in an 
 imperfect social structure, in the ignorance of art 
 and science, in the utter apathy to the great ends of 
 their creation." 
 
 « Why " observed the Cubo, " have not the gods, 
 seeing men thus rebellious, compelled them to listen 
 to the truth, and obey it ? " " Because they despise 
 the homage of slaves," answered the Jaco, " A free 
 and unsolicited service t only can be acceptable to 
 them. Man is a being created intelligent and free. 
 Truth and falsehood, good and evil, from which to 
 choose, are set before him. The consequences of 
 his selection are attributable only to his own desire." 
 " How is it possible," interrupted the Emperor, 
 " that rational man beholding the light, should yearn 
 after darkness, and knowing the good, select the 
 evil ? " 
 
 " Man," replied the Philosopher Taico, " almost 
 
58 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 from the hour of his birth, discloses in his nature, 
 the action of two great principles, which may be 
 termed the Rational, and the Animal influences. 
 The former enlightens his brain in the conception of 
 the truth, and discovers to him the path of rectitude, 
 but the latter dissuades him from the fulfilment of 
 its admonitions. The vital essence of the Animal 
 principle is self-love, which, unloosing the passions, 
 in searching its gratification, impels man to seek 
 worldly enjoyments as a means. No sooner has 
 reason displayed the course of justice and propriety, 
 than self-love, finding that it restricts pleasure, and 
 thus opposes its desire, at once rejects its councils, 
 and bids defiance to its restraints. It was from 
 causes like these, that the philosophy of the great 
 Confucius met with such envenomed and permanent 
 opposition in the Chinese Empire. His doctrine 
 proscribed the vices and evil practices prevalent 
 among the mass of the people ; hence the perverse 
 Chinese, loth to abandon their habitual crimes, 
 rejected the creed that condemned them, heavenly 
 though it were. Self-love is then the first great 
 impediment towards the observance of truth, and the 
 practice of virtue." 
 
 " A still greater obstacle towards their extensive 
 dissemination," said the Cubo, " is the force of 
 example. The desire of imitation is a principle, 
 
PLAN OF EDUCATION. 59 
 
 deeply seated in the native constitution of man. 
 Children act after their parents, scholars after their 
 masters, and subjects after their rulers. We approve 
 or condemn, adopt or reject, praise or censure, not 
 because we have the authority of common sense as 
 our guide, but simply, because others do in like 
 manner. And the higher the position, and the 
 weightier the character of him, whose actions are 
 copied, the more powerful and effectual becomes his 
 influence over those around him. Thus the moral 
 power which a prince wields over his people is 
 immense, that which the parent exercises over the 
 child is perhaps greater still. It is unquestionably 
 an almost irresistible temptation, and at the same 
 time a very plausible motive, to tread in the footsteps 
 of our fathers, and to follow the traces of our guide. 
 The present fortune of the gods of Japan illustrates 
 this very truth. Why do we at this time see all 
 Japan deserting the temples of Xaca, to frequent 
 those of the god Amida ? Because our gracious 
 Sovereign resorts to these latter. Let him and his 
 court patronize the worship of the former deity, and 
 my word for it, all will do so with him, and the now 
 deserted houses of the unpopular god will again 
 become the centre of worship, the temples of 
 fashionable devotion of the Japanese. Thus the 
 omnipotence of the force of example for good or 
 
60 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 evil. Unhappy land ! where it is the fashion to 
 shun the light, and to wander in the darkness." 
 
 " Self-love and example," observed the Jaco, "are 
 undoubtedly powerful opponents of true morality, 
 yet I consider the prejudices of birth, and more 
 especially those of education, to be far more formi- 
 dable than the action of either of them, or even that 
 of both combined. It is these which shape and 
 fashion the minds and hearts of most men, which 
 mould their thoughts, and direct their conclusions. 
 Survey the globe, and observe how completely they 
 attract its various tribes to their own arbitrary 
 standards. They control our ideas, our language, 
 our dress, our customs and manners, our government, 
 but above all, our religious belief, and mode of divine 
 worship. It is these, which constitute in India, the 
 Hindoo ; in Turkey, the Mahometan ; in Palestine, 
 the Jew. Had we first breathed in Bagdad, we 
 might have been followers of the prophet ; if in 
 Persia, we would probably have been devout wor- 
 shippers of the sun. And why do we call on Amida 
 for aid and comfort ? Because we first beheld the 
 light of day, in the happy Isles of Japan, and 
 because we have been educated in the principles of 
 Frenoxama." 
 
 " To these incontrovertible facts," interrupted the 
 historian Mancio, " I have foimd one remarkable 
 
PLAN OF EDUCATION. 61 
 
 exception, and but one. I have frequented every 
 region of the earth. I have visited every clime of 
 its surface. I have traversed mountains and dales, 
 and have penetrated into the desert as far as it was 
 possible for man to go. I have been a resident in 
 every country, and wherever I have met with human 
 beings, there have I found worshippers of Jesus, the 
 Christian's God, Jehovah, Mahomet, the Sun, the 
 White Elephant, the grand Lama, have each their 
 exclusive domains, their own specific theatre, where 
 homage is rendered to them, but Jesus is worshipped 
 every where, and the extent of his dominions is 
 bounded only by the ocean." 
 
 " The fact you refer to," observed the Jaco, " is 
 indeed a phenomenon in the religious world. No 
 other system of worship has ever succeeded in form- 
 ing education according to its own standard. With 
 most tribes, however, birth and education have 
 rather shaped and fashioned the religious systems, 
 by which they profess to be regulated." 
 
 " Immortal God," ejaculated for a second time 
 
 the dissatisfied Nobunango. u How shall we at last 
 
 discover our road to the fountain-head of truth ; how 
 
 may we pursue through the dreary wilderness of 
 
 doubt and darkness, the guidance of those beacon 
 
 stars of light and peace ? How, shall we, blinded 
 
 by the sands of prejudice and passion, gain the oasis 
 
 6 
 
1/ 
 
 62 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 of spiritual repose, and mental disenthralment ? 
 How shall we proceed, impeded by the force of 
 vicious example, and the fierce prejudices of birth 
 and of education ? And should the sacred beams of 
 truth ever light upon our hearts, will those hearts, 
 callous and remorseless, throb with an answering 
 pulsation ? The Children of Moses, the followers of 
 Christ, the votaries of Mahomet, all profess to walk 
 by the lamp that is shed from the throne of the one 
 true god, and yet they each proceed through a 
 different pathway. How can we unaided and 
 unassisted, hope ever to reach the distant palace of 
 the great king, the dwelling place of the God of 
 truth ? Rosalia, how arduous is the task, which 
 thou didst impose upon thy Nobunango ! " 
 
 " The task, Emperor," said Prince Fugurun- 
 dono, " which your oath imposes is truly a mighty 
 one, but the gods will aid you in its accomplishment. 
 I have conceived a plan for the training of Justo, 
 which, if faithfully carried out, will most certainly 
 produce the wished-for result. If your highness 
 and august council permit, I will submit to them 
 the outlines of my scheme." " Proceed, Fugurundono, 
 proceed," was the outcry from every member. " I 
 propose," continued he, " to have him secluded from 
 all intercourse with men, in some safe and pleasant 
 retreat, until he arrive at the age of twenty-one 
 
PLAN OF EDUCATION. 63 
 
 years. Let him be confided to the care of a few 
 able and trusty friends, who you know will faithfully 
 execute and abide by your orders. Let him be 
 instructed in every art and science calculated to 
 enlarge the powers of his mind, and strengthen 
 his understanding. But carefully withhol^L from 
 him the remotest intimation of the existence of the 
 Deity, of religion, of worship, or of any creed or 
 system with regard to a future world." 
 
 "But why, prince," observed the Jaco, "do 
 you propose to educate the crown prince without 
 the knowledge of any religion? Even a doubtful 
 creed to me, seems preferable to none at all." 
 "It is not my wish," returned Fugurundono, 
 " to leave Justo without the possession of religion, 
 but rather to enable him to discover that which is 
 the true one. This plan, which I have been 
 permitted to lay before you, is designed with the 
 intention of preserving his mind free from all 
 prejudice in favor of any religious sect, and his 
 imagination uninfluenced by passion or fancy, and 
 his whole system uncontaminate from the example 
 of others, and unfettered by the restraints of 
 previous education. 
 
 " When the prince shall have reached the 
 prescribed age, his mind stored with every variety 
 of useful knowledge, his intellect well disciplined, 
 
64 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 and his heart untouched by interest ; then let the 
 Emperor convene a council of divines and learned 
 men of every system and sect on the earth. These 
 will unfold to the prince their different systems of 
 religion, and discuss their respective merits before 
 him. The prince, uninfluenced by any, a stranger 
 to all, and partial to none, must necessarily discover 
 the truth, if there still be truth upon the earth." 
 
 The plan was unanimously adopted by the council, 
 and cordially approved of by the Emperor. Prince 
 Fugurundono, the author of the system, was charged 
 with its execution ; he being, as we have before said, 
 the most experienced and the most trustworthy 
 man in the empire. After this, the council was 
 adjourned. 
 
VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 65 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 
 
 The Jaco's objections to Fugurundono's plan — they are dissipated. 
 Mount Frenoxama. Description of the ancient palace — of the 
 thirteen valleys — its inmates. Exercises of the young princes 
 — their studies — amusements — domestic and scholastic disci- 
 pline — distribution of their time. 
 
 On the day following the adoption of the scheme 
 
 of Fugurundono, the Jaco, in a private interview with 
 
 him, said, " Prince, I almost repent my acquiescence 
 
 in the plan you yesterday proposed." " Why, my 
 
 lord V asked Fugurundono. ;< Because," said the 
 
 former, "it was given in approval of a system of 
 
 education which excludes all knowledge of the gods. 
 
 Since religion is the great standard that regulates 
 
 and expresses the duties of man to the gods, to 
 
 himself, and to his fellow man, we should endeavor 
 
 rather, first of all, to instil its principles into the 
 
 youthful mind. No human being, much less the 
 
 future ruler of Japan, should be allowed to reach 
 
 the age of maturity, unconscious of the moving 
 
 spring of animate happiness, ignorant of the sublime 
 
 power of earthly morality." 
 
 " Were we now in the enjoyment of the true 
 6* 
 
bb JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 religion," answered the Prince, " jour sentiments 
 would be just and sagacious. But what system of 
 worship would you purpose unfolding to the young 
 Justo ? The Emperor is bound by his vow to have 
 his son educated in the knowledge of the true God, 
 and instructed in his mode of worship. But of the 
 innumerable varying and contradictory sects that 
 obtain amongst mankind, which can be called the 
 true one ? It is precisely for the purpose of solving 
 this great problem that my plan has been devised, 
 and in the belief that it might accomplish this end 
 has it been urged and finally adopted." 
 
 " But why not at once grant that all creeds of 
 belief are good and lawful, and that any mode 
 of worship prompted by the honest, well meaning 
 heart will be acceptable to the gods ?" " In this 
 view of the case you doubtless aim at universal 
 justice," rejoined the sage, "but surely you are too 
 sagacious seriously to entertain such an opinion. 
 Will you place in the same category, the worshippers 
 of the sun, and of the moon, those of the elephant 
 and the ibis, those of Christ and Mahomet, those of 
 the grand Lama, or of Jupiter, with those of the 
 Jehovah ? Is there no distinction to be made 
 between the prostitute and the jrestal virgin ; 
 between those who sacrifice human victims, and 
 those who mercifully protect the life of man ? And 
 
VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 67 
 
 such impiety must be extolled, if anything which 
 should be merely sincere is acceptable to the gods." 
 "You argue convincingly," returned the Jaco ; "I 
 have now no more to say. Your system has the 
 full approval of my judgment, as well as that of my 
 heart, and you may ever count on my strenuous and 
 cordial support of your views, as thereby expressed." 
 Fugurundono now directed his full attention 
 towards the selecting a suitable place of retreat, 
 in which his royal pupil might be reared according 
 to his novel method. He recollected the existence 
 of an ancient palace, of magnificent structure, 
 erected by the Dairi, the ancient emperors of 
 Japan, and which was pleasantly situated on the 
 top of Mount Frenoxama. It was constructed in 
 the form of an oblong octagon, covering most of 
 the surface of the Mount. It was four hundred 
 feet in height, being built of solid marble; the 
 roof, of the same material, being flat. On its 
 surface, it bore a pleasure garden, compared with 
 which the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon 
 would seem insignificant. Groves, and bowers, 
 and refreshing shades, enlivened by a thousand 
 joyous warblers; trees and plants of every kind, 
 flowers of every hue, and fruits of every flavor, 
 covered its entire face. It was watered by four 
 meandering streams, and intersected by various 
 
68 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 ponds, in which the rays of the sun shone with 
 glittering refulgence on the crests of numberless 
 fishes. The brooks were nourished by three copious 
 springs bursting from the east, the west, and the 
 south sides of the Mount, and the water was forced 
 into an immense reservoir, placed in the centre of 
 the garden, by means of pipes. The superfluities 
 of the ponds, perpetually supplied by small rivulets 
 from the great reservoir, were discharged in a 
 similar manner. The palace was divided into 
 twenty thousand magnificent apartments, the prin- 
 cipal of them communicating with a great staircase, 
 leading to the above-named garden. The mountain 
 of Frenoxama is surrounded by thirteen beautiful 
 valleys, these being bounded by the great lake, in 
 breadth over three miles. Rippling brooks, mur- 
 muring rivulets, refreshing fountains covered these 
 valleys, and ridges of hills rising from ten to twenty 
 feet above the level of the plain, almost hidden by 
 the profusion of sweet scented shrubs, together 
 with the moss-clad rocks, gave to them a very 
 picturesque appearance. Every animal and fea- 
 thered tribe known in the empire was here repre- 
 sented, whilst almost every variety of the piscatory 
 class stocked the adjoining lake, affording plenteous 
 supply to the great city of Meaco, and its environs. 
 The view of these surrounding beauties from the 
 
VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 69 
 
 summit of the palace was exceedingly fine. The 
 silver lake, with its green banks embroidered with 
 nature's hue of green and virgin white, — geese and 
 swans in merry fantasy gliding on its unruffled 
 bosom, imbued the soul with that calm delight 
 which ruder pleasures fail to impart. Flocks and 
 herds are scattered over the pastures, some grazing, 
 others reposing in the shade, whilst the rocks 
 receive the bounding kid, and the hills and vales 
 re-echo the mellow tones of a million jocund song- 
 sters, harmonizing with the ceaseless plash of the 
 fountain stream. This valley, fruitful like the 
 garden of Eden, sufficed to maintain over fifty 
 thousand human beings. 
 
 It was an abode like this, which Fugurundono 
 selected as the residence of the prince during the 
 years of his minority. One more admirably 
 adapted to facilitate the execution of his system 
 could not have been chosen. Twenty-five young 
 princes of the first families of the Empire, and of 
 the same age as Justo, were selected to be his 
 companions in this delightful seclusion, and to be 
 educated with him in the same manner. Fugurun- 
 dono now procured thirty-five of the most competent 
 and experienced instructors in every department of 
 art and science, which could be found in the empire. 
 
 It was on the first day of May, that the party, 
 
70 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 accompanied by fifteen hundred attendants, con- 
 sisting of the officers, guards, and domestics of 
 the palace, entered the valley. With the exception 
 of the tutors, none were permitted to converse 
 with the princes. Expulsion from the valley was 
 the punishment of the servant who was detected 
 in the slightest intercourse, even in the utterance 
 of a single word, with them. This rigid domestic 
 discipline was justly deemed necessary to enforce 
 the observance of the regulations, demanded by 
 the plan of the intelligent noble. 
 
 The exercises of the inmates of the palace of 
 Frenoxama, were, very properly, of two kinds, 
 the physical and the mental. The former embraced 
 gymnastic performances of every description, horse- 
 manship, wrestling and swimming, together with 
 the minor sports of fowling, fishing, &c, all calcu- 
 lated to develope their native constitutions, and 
 by inducing a healthy action of the animal func- 
 tions, give to the mind corresponding permanence 
 and vigor in the fulfilment of its labors. The other 
 and more legitimate department of education, 
 comprised the study of the languages, ancient and 
 modern, Rhetoric, Mathematics, Astronomy, but 
 more especially Philosophy, a course calculated to 
 discipline and improve the mind. Each branch 
 had its appropriate hour ; amusements, no less than 
 
VALLEY OF FRENOXAMA. 71 
 
 studies being accurately regulated by rule. At 
 sun-rise, all the pupils assembled in the great hall, 
 •where in presence of Fugurundono, they recited 
 their various tasks, and received instructions in the 
 different departments of science for the space of 
 three and a half hours. After which, they partook 
 of a frugal morning repast, then devoted themselves 
 to their physical recreations. At three o'clock in 
 the afternoon, they dined in common, where modesty 
 and sobriety were inculcated by word and example. 
 After dinner, an hour was allowed them for prome- 
 nading in the garden or in the valleys below. The 
 remainder of the day was consumed in the prepara- 
 tion of their tasks for the following morning. They 
 supped at eight o'clock, and retired to rest at nine. 
 
72 JITSTO UCUNDONa. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONVENING OP THE COUNCIL. 
 
 Successful result of the peculiar education of Justo. His accom- 
 plishments. He grows pensive. His fancy is in search of the 
 first cause of all things. His heart and mind tell him that a 
 something is wanting. The Emperor's arrival in the valleys. 
 He is accompanied by five hundred Divines, representatives of 
 all systems of religious worship. Justo is bewildered. Fugu- 
 rundono discloses to him the secret of his mysterious life and 
 confinement in the Valley of Frenoxama. Entrance of the 
 Emperor. He meets, recognizes, and is overjoyed at his son. 
 
 In this manner were spent twelve years of Jus- 
 to's life in the Valleys of Frenoxama. He far 
 excelled his companions in the power and acute- 
 ness of his mind, as he surpassed most of them in 
 bodily strength and agility. He had completely 
 mastered every art and science, in which he had 
 been instructed, but for his attainments in philo- 
 sophical knowledge, and the brilliancy of his logical 
 powers, he stood pre-eminent. His perception was 
 just and clear, and his method of reasoning search- 
 ing, and conclusive, his deductions being invaria- 
 bly drawn from the spirit of his premises. Every 
 species of sophism, was dissipated before the action 
 of his clear, bright intellect, like the morning 
 mist before the rising sun. 
 
CONVENING OF THE COUNCIL. 73 
 
 Until the verge of manhood, his disposition had 
 been cheerful, and his temperament ardent and 
 buoyant, but about this period he became 
 thoughtful and serious, to a degree approaching' 
 melancholy. He was often discovered alone, buried 
 in deep meditation, surveying the aspect of the 
 heavens, or calmly gazing on the prospect afforded 
 by the beautiful vallies around him. This remark- 
 able change in the demeanor of the Prince was 
 soon perceived by all, though none, with the ex- 
 ception of Fugurundono rightly conjectured its true 
 cause. He was led to suspect this from the nature 
 of^the questions, which the former often put to 
 him, questions which he did not feel himself war- 
 ranted, at that time, in answering. 
 
 " Who," would Justo often say to him, " has 
 sunk that broad beautiful lake around the valleys 
 and elevated Mount Frenoxama to such a height 
 above the level of the plain ? Whose arm upholds 
 the stupendous firmament, and maintains these glit- 
 tering orbs above our heads ? I see light springing 
 from darkness, and darkness again absorbing the 
 light. I see the leaf-buds bloom, the flowers fade and 
 die away. Who is he that effects this wonderful 
 change in all animated life ? Who sends forth that 
 impetuous breath, before which the proudest tree 
 
 so lowly bends its length ? Whose voice is that 
 
 7 
 
74 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 which speaks in the roar of the thunder, and 
 shaking the very mountains, pierces with its es- 
 sence the mighty oak and towering dome ? I see 
 the valleys green, the mountains covered with 
 snow. By whom are these wonderful scenes so 
 picturesquely varied?" "All these phenomena," 
 replied his tutor, " are but the effect of nature's 
 unvarying laws." "But who has created this 
 Almighty nature, and given life to these powerful 
 laws ?" returned the Prince. 
 
 " Why," said he, on another day, "am I so dif- 
 ferent from those gay animals who gambol about 
 me? Like the beast who wanders in my path, I 
 am pained by want ; but am not like him, made 
 happy by fulness. He is hungry, and he eats ; 
 he is thirsty, he drinks, and is contented. But 
 the supply of animal necessities merely, gratifies 
 not me. Surely then I have some demand within 
 me which this valley can not supply ? Have I 
 no aspirations, no prospects, no destiny, above 
 those of the brute creation ? Why then cannot 
 the luxuries of this delightful abode content my 
 soul, as they do theirs ? Why does it soar beyond 
 the limits of Frenoxama in quest of some unknown, 
 mysterious object ?" 
 
 Fugurundono was much affected by these natural 
 effusions of a heart, yearning with all its aspira- 
 
CONVENING OF THE COUNCIL. 75 
 
 tions towards the author of its being. "My son/' 
 said he, " your thoughts are wise, and your rea- 
 soning just ; . be but calm and patient, for that of 
 which you are now ignorant will be known to you 
 hereafter." A few days afterwards, he again met 
 him, seated on the banks of the lake, and more 
 than usually pensive and melancholy. " Justo, 
 Justo," he exclaimed, "why this downcast air, 
 whence these perturbed looks ?" " The longer I 
 live, and the more I reflect, my Lord," answered 
 he, " the greater mystery do I seem to myself, ■ . i „/ 
 and the more does everything around me partake 
 of the same character of doubt and speculation. 
 How have I come into this earth ? Who caused 
 these eyes to see, these ears to hear, this tongue 
 to articulate ? Who gives thought to my mind, 
 and who thus makes heavy and sorrowful my 
 heart ? Am I to be consigned forever to this 
 mysterious valley, or am I destined to tread on 
 soil still more inexplicable ? Why am I guarded 
 with such especial care, and forbidden intercourse 
 with beings like myself ? Why, my Lord, are 
 you so cautious and reserved, in satisfying my 
 doubts and queries?" Whilst the Prince was yet 
 speaking, the guns of the castle announced the 
 arrival of a courier from the Emperor to Prince 
 Fugurundono, who forthwith repaired to the hall of 
 
76 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 audience to receive the emperor's commands, where 
 the following dispatch was handed him : " Fugu- 
 rundono : — Eight days after date, the Emperor and 
 his Court, accompanied by five hundred divines and 
 doctors representing every system of religious wor- 
 ship known amongst men, will enter the valleys 
 of Frenoxama, for the purpose of solving, in accord- 
 ance with your plan, the great problems, — ' Who is 
 God, what mode of adoration is acceptable to him, 
 and what guide we should follow in our pursuit 
 after eternal happiness.' Prepare my son to meet 
 his father — acquaint him with his history, and with 
 the object of our entrance into the valley ?" 
 
 Fugurundono lost no time in sending for Justo, 
 to communicate to him Nobunango's pleasure. To 
 the young Prince, the reading of the dispatch 
 seemed a message from another world. A suffu- 
 sion of ideas occupied his brain to such a 
 degree, that bewildered, he doubted whether what 
 he had seen and heard was not in reality a dream. 
 True God ! Divines ! Religious Worship ! were to 
 him phrases novel and unmeaning. " Who is the 
 Emperor?" he at last exclaimed. " The Emperor," 
 answered his guardian, "is the supreme ruler of 
 the powerful Japanese nation, and this mighty 
 Prince is also your father." "My father," inter- 
 rupted Justo, " are you not my father ?" " No, 
 
CONVENING OF THE COUNCIL. 77 
 
 my son," rejoined the other, " great Nobunango is 
 your father, and Rosalia your mother." " So my 
 mother is also coming !" inquired the Prince. 
 "Your mother," said Fugurundono, " has returned 
 to the Gods." "Who are the Gods," resumed the 
 prince, " and where do they dwell ?" " They are 
 the authors of Frenoxama and its surrounding 
 wonders," was the reply. " Mysterious, powerful 
 beings," he then exclaimed, " what are their 
 names." " Their names are legion," he was an- 
 swered. "Who is the Chief of the Gods?" conti- 
 nued he. " The solution of that question," an- 
 swered Fugurundono, " has occupied the minds of \ 
 men for six thousand years, and finds them divided 
 to this very day. This question has perplexed your 
 father and his counsellors ever since you were born. 
 And you have been placed in the Valley of Fre- 
 noxama for the purpose of being prepared for its 
 solution ; and to aid you in this great task, your 
 father is approaching the valley with five hundred 
 learned divines, representatives of all the Gods that 
 bear a name on earth." 
 
 "Your history," continued Fugurundono, " is in 
 brief, the following. Your mother, Rosalia, did 
 not worship the gods of the Empire. As she 
 reposed no confidence in their assistance neither 
 did she seek it ; and dying, she besought the Empe- 
 
 J 
 
78 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 ror to have you instructed in the knowledge and 
 worship of the true God. This he promised to do, 
 by oath. But unacquainted with the true deity, 
 he knew not how to fulfil his pledge. He con- 
 sulted the wise men of all nations concerning the 
 important subject, but none of them could con- 
 vince his mind, each pointing a different god and 
 worship, as they were individually predisposed by 
 birth, education, or prejudice. He then agreed to 
 cause you to be educated in such a manner as to 
 exempt you from those influences, which had led 
 these sages to such various and opposite conclu- 
 sions. Hence you have been educated in total 
 ignorance of the gods and their laws. Being pre- 
 judiced in favor of none, you will be prepared 
 to give them all an impartial hearing. The advo- 
 cates of the various gods and their corresponding 
 systems will plead their cause before you; and, 
 after mature deliberation, you will choose calmly 
 from among the opposing candidates, him whom 
 you conceive to be the true god of heaven." 
 
 The whole valley was now resounding with the 
 din of preparation for the reception of the Empe- 
 ror. Anxious expectation was expressed by the 
 inhabitants, since he had not visited the palace 
 for fifteen years previous. About nine o'clock on 
 the morning of the appointed day, the roaring of 
 
CONVENING OF THE COUNCIL. 79 
 
 cannon, and the ringing of bells, announced his 
 approach. The imperial colors were displayed 
 from the palace; the brazen gates were thrown 
 open, and the Emperor and his suite entered the 
 Valley of Frenoxama, amidst the joyous sounds of 
 music, and- the acclamations of the people. Fugu- 
 rundono, with the young Princes, had repaired to 
 the great hall to receive the Emperor. They were 
 arranged in a semi-circle in the centre of the 
 apartment. Nobunango entered, and with a glance 
 he singled out his child, though he had not seen 
 him for twelve years. Rushing towards him, and 
 falling on his neck, he exclaimed, " This is my 
 happiest hour since the death of my beloved Rosa- 
 lia ! Justo ! thou art indeed her son." 
 
 The excitement of the first meeting having sub- 
 sided, the Emperor conversed familiarly with Prince 
 Fugurundono, his son, and the other princes. 
 He was highly gratified at Justo's appearance, 
 his comeliness, his dignified manners, and above 
 all with his intelligence ; and he tendered to Fugu- 
 rundono his cordial thanks for the able and suc- 
 cessful manner in which he had discharged his 
 duty towards his son. He next ordered a sump- 
 tuous banquet to be prepared for all the inmates 
 of the valley, to express his approbation of their 
 conduct during the probation of his son. This 
 
80 JUSTO UCUNDONO.' 
 
 was to last for fifteen days, after which further 
 measures were to be adopted for the purpose of 
 prosecuting the great work whose preliminary 
 arrangements were now completed. 
 
 V 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 81 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 The imposing assemblage of Divines. Among them is St. Francis 
 Xavier. The great Council is opened by the Emperor in per- 
 son — his address. A Jewish Rabbi proves the existence of a 
 Supreme Being, from the existence of the Universe. Illustra- 
 tion from the palace of Frenoxama. Defects in the structure 
 of the world, no argument against the existence of the Creator. 
 The world is, as its author intended it to be, perfect in its kind. 
 God's existence proved further from man's existence — also 
 from the universal opinion of nations. Discomfiture of the 
 Atheist. The Council adjourns. 
 
 The banquet being ended, and the valley having 
 resumed its usual aspect, the Emperor summoned the 
 Divines who had there congregated from all parts of 
 the world, to meet him on the following day in the 
 great hall of the palace. Among this numerous 
 assemblage, there was one, whose history, no less 
 than his personal appearance, attracted special notice. 
 Without prospects of reward, with apparently doubt- 
 ful chances of success, he had undergone a journey 
 of many thousand miles, threatened with innumerable 
 dangers, to visit a people, with whom he was 
 unacquainted, in order to secure for them the means 
 of eternal salvation by unfolding to them the tenets 
 of a new doctrine. Such disinterestedness astonished 
 
82 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 a carnal and heathen people. His demeanor too, 
 meek and humble, his appearance, unostentatiously 
 dignified, his countenance beaming with intelligence 
 and philanthropy, won every heart, and attracted 
 towards him every eye. This was Francis Xavier, 
 the renowned apostle of the Indies and Japan, who 
 had just landed upon the Islands. We shall see him 
 occupying a conspicuous part in the sequel of the 
 proceedings at Frenoxama. 
 
 Concerning the others who composed this novel 
 Council, it need only be said that they numbered 
 among them the ablest champions of the many 
 religious sects, into which, the world, as now, was 
 then divided. 
 
 At nine o'clock on the appointed morning, the 
 Emperor, Prince Justo, Fugurundono and the court, 
 entered the hall, in which was collected the most 
 imposing assemblage, that had ever been convened 
 in the East. The conclave rose in a body to salute 
 the Prince, receiving him with the highest respect 
 and courtesy. The imperial family and Princes of 
 Japan were conducted to elevated seats, commanding 
 a full view of the assembly. 
 
 When all were seated, the Emperor rose and in 
 the following brief words, opened the council, stating 
 the great object for which it had been organized : 
 " Ministers of the Gods, and favorites of Heaven, 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 83 
 
 We, of this nation, have been taught by our fathers 
 that many gods control the universe, and direct the 
 actions of men. I have gathered you together, to 
 determine if this be the doctrine of truth." 
 
 To this, a venerable Jewish Rabbi arose and 
 answered : " By the word God, Emperor, we 
 understand a being superior to all other objects, 
 animate or inanimate, — the author of all life, and of 
 all being, — the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. 
 Such a power is necessarily but one. No more can 
 the world have two founders, than a child two 
 mothers. The ruler of Japan, according to the 
 established laws of the Empire, must be Supreme 
 and absolute, throughout its territories. Nobunango 
 is that ruler. Now we cannot institute with him an 
 equal in the Empire, since as long as he remain 
 supreme, the intruder would be inferior, and con- 
 sequently devoid of the necessary authority. But 
 the moment he would become supreme, by the 
 requirements of the law, at that instant would 
 Nobunango cease to be Emperor. Thus, in any case, 
 would Japan, by the spirit of her institutions, have 
 but one sovereign. But supposing that two Princes of 
 equal power ruled this country, it would then have 
 no government at all. The one might order another 
 council to meet, and his associate might condemn his 
 course, and countermand it. Both possessing equal 
 
84 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 power, nothing could be effected, which but confirms 
 the former argument. Now, what Nobunango is in 
 the Empire, God is in the universe. And thus the 
 world, like the Japonian Empire, admits of only one 
 Supreme Ruler. When the sun rises or sets, when 
 the seasons return, when light succeeds to darkness, 
 and darkness again to light, it is in obedience to the 
 will of one sole Director, who governs the whole." 
 
 " The imaginary being, with the belief of whose 
 unity you seem so deeply impressed," said the 
 Atheist Triphon, " is a mere chimera, an ethic 
 fancy. Neither do the heavens nor the earth need 
 a ruler, such as he of whom you speak." 
 
 " Do you maintain," asked the Rabbi, " that the 
 palace of Frenoxama needed no builder ? " " No," 
 answered the Atheist, " the contrary is evident." 
 With what consistency then," resumed the former, 
 " do you assert that the magnificent structure of the 
 Universe, required no architect." " Because it 
 always was as it now is," answered Triphon. 
 "What?" rejoined the other, "you a philosopher 
 cannot be serious in the expression of an opinion 
 like this ; for, not to mention the comparative youth 
 which the very construction of the world exhibits, in 
 the present state of the arts and sciences, not to 
 speak of the steadfast universal belief that the world 
 had a beginning, the very supposition of its eternity, 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 85 
 
 alone implies a gross contradiction. If the world be 
 eternal, the earth has passed an infinite number of 
 times around the sun, else you would have her first 
 revolution, and consequently the beginning of the 
 world, at the moment, when it commenced revolving 
 round the sun. But whilst the earth passes around 
 the sun once, the moon, in its turn, passes twelve 
 times around the former ; hence, there would be a less 
 and a greater infinity of revolutions, the absurdity 
 of which a child can perceive. The world therefore, 
 has not always been, but was produced in time. 
 Now if the latter, it either made itself, was made by 
 chance, or by some powerful being, whom we denomi- 
 nate God. If the world made itself, it was and was 
 not at the same time, or it was before it was, an 
 absurdity. Action implies an agent, but the agent 
 of the action which produced the world, is the world 
 itself, therefore it was and it was not, or, as before, 
 it was before it was. It was because it acted, since 
 what is not, cannot act, and yet it was not, because 
 it needed to be produced. If the latter were the 
 case, evidently the former could not have been. 
 But say^ that chance produced it. Chance has 
 neither order, design, nor stability, whilst on the 
 other hand nothing could be more regular, nor con- 
 sistent throughout, than is this magnificent universe, 
 not only as a whole, but as to its various parts. 
 
86 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Not chance therefore, but a wise and powerful 
 architect must have been its author, and this is the 
 Supreme Being, the God of nations whom all should 
 reverence and obey. I would ask you to recall to 
 mind the occurrence of the other day, in this palace, 
 in your very presence. When the master of the 
 palace pointed out to us the grand design, beautiful 
 proportions, and faultless execution of this wonderful 
 structure, did not the Indian philosopher exclaim, 
 c Show me the architect, I must see and converse 
 with him.' And this was the language of nature. 
 
 " Examine now, I pray, this sublime structure of 
 the universe, its broad foundations, gigantic super- 
 structures, star-studded dome. See how light flashes 
 from the womb of darkness, the sun ascends his 
 gorgeous throne, from which as from an everlasting 
 watch-tower, he regulates the days, the years, the 
 hours. The great deep is rolled into its vast and 
 fathomless abysses, and its billows are chained 
 within their prescribed boundaries, traced on the 
 sands. The waters are alive with fishes, the fields 
 and groves swarm with beasts and reptiles, and are 
 resonant with the incessant songs of joyous birds. 
 Its surface is diversified with its fragrant and beauti- 
 ful gardens, its limpid rivers, and the ever blooming 
 bowers, for the reception of the Lord, not of Japan, 
 but of its entire self. Above it float ten thousand 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 87 
 
 brilliant worlds, each pursuing its regular course, 
 neither deviating to the right, or the left, nor follow- 
 ing each other's track, but following steadfastly the 
 path they have journeyed for ages. 
 
 "Who, on thus calmly reviewing this great 
 creation, can refrain from exclaiming with the 
 Indian philosopher, ' Show me the architect, show 
 me the author of such wisdom, skill, and power V 
 If there be no God, I would ask, what force controls 
 the winds and waves, and whose hand guides the 
 reins of those fiery coursers, through the high 
 heavens, yoked in before the cars of the stars ? 
 
 "Only observe the surface of the planet which 
 we inhabit, a mere point in the universe, and yet 
 having enough to show the existence of a fruitful 
 parent, the great author and source of all. Survey 
 the four kingdoms of the earth, the mineral, the 
 vegetable, the animal, and the intellectual, each 
 abundant in surpassing wonders of innumerable 
 variety. The iron, the gold, the brass, the brilliant 
 diamond, all substances of different nature, each 
 adapted to a particular use. Then, from the lowly 
 shrub, to the lofty oak, who can scan the numberless 
 intermediate families and species of plants, herbs, 
 and trees, of flowers and fruits of varying hue and 
 taste ? I need scarcely speak of the millions of 
 living creatures, inhabiting the earth, the air, and 
 
88 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 the water, each moving in its particular sphere, and 
 all promptly and cheerfully fulfilling the task 
 allotted them in the morning of nature. The intel- 
 lectual kingdom lies far above the rest, nearer to 
 the eternal throne. It shapes and fashions, at 
 will, the products of the mineral kingdom, draws 
 its supplies and luxuries from the vegetating domain, 
 commands and directs the functions of all the animal 
 tribes. Its centre is the god-like mind of man, 
 extending its limits over the entire earth, as the sun 
 lords it over the heavens. To its possessor, the 
 flowers offer their sweet incense, the tree presents 
 its fruits, and the animal devotes its young. By 
 his wondrous invention, the night is transformed 
 into day, time and space are overcome to suit his 
 purposes. Even the wind and the waves have been 
 controlled by the exercise of his powerful weapon. 
 
 "And yet this same mind, well nigh omnipotent, 
 will frankly acknowledge that it has not the power 
 to produce one single new mineral specimen, one 
 new plant, one new animal, to say nothing of one 
 new intellectual being. It is conscious that it is 
 not of inborn origin, it knows that it was uncreated 
 by any earthly being, but feels that its existence is 
 due to a mightier source, to that same power who 
 placed the sun in the centre of the universe. I now 
 argue, that wherever we find the undoubted effects 
 
• EXISTENCE OF GOD. 89 
 
 of wisdom, design, skill, or power, there a wise, 
 designing, skilful, and powerful author has been at 
 work. Now the universe, either as a whole, or 
 viewed part by part, shows the results of wisdom 
 and power such as no created sagacity and resources 
 could have effected. We are thus referred to an 
 agent, more skilful, more wise, more prudent, than 
 the world can or can have contained, and this 
 agent is none other than the one great and eternal 
 ruler of the universe, the Lord all-mighty whom 
 alone all creatures should reverence and obey." 
 
 T^e Rabbi sat down after having enchained 
 the attention, and excited the applause of the entire 
 body. The Atheist much vexed at the reply, how- 
 ever kept his temper. He became quite verbose in 
 expatiating on the seeming defects and imperfections 
 of the world, from which he labored to infer that it 
 was the work of an imperfect architect, and conse- 
 quently of none at all. 
 
 "You are even now," replied the Rabbi, "giving 
 a sad specimen of the imperfections of which you 
 argue. When we see an intelligent mind wasting 
 its energy, and exhausting its strength, in the denial 
 of its great author, whom it was created to glorify, 
 we behold indeed a spectacle of no ordinary kind. 
 But regarding what you have just advanced, I will 
 
 say, that the imperfect work, no less than the fault- 
 
 8* 
 
90 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 less one, demands an author. The human artist 
 does not always produce the best piece of workman- 
 ship of which he is capable, but rather, such a one, 
 as may suit the purpose for which it was designed. 
 The world when considered abstractly, may indeed 
 have the semblage of imperfection. But what a 
 different aspect does it assume when we view it in 
 connection with the end for which it was intended. 
 The Creator in its production had in view a fixed 
 design, which is fully accomplished by the world as 
 it is, and moreover in a manner such as a sphere, 
 other than this, could not exemplify. Hence the 
 present world, with all its real or supposed imperfec- 
 tions is the very best that could have been created, 
 with regard to its present purpose. It is therefore 
 perfect in its kind, even with the Atheist Triphon 
 upon its bosom. 
 
 " But why," continued the Rabbi, " should we -go 
 outside, for proof of the existence of God, when our 
 own very existence forms its most convincing demon- 
 stration. Conscious of our being, we are yet certain 
 that it is not of our creation. Who then has given 
 us life ? " " Our progenitors," answered the Atheist. 
 " I grant it," resumed the Rabbi, " but the number 
 of our progenitors is necessarily finite, as an infinite 
 number is an absurdity. We must at last arrive at 
 the first of our progenitors, no matter how far back 
 
EXISTENCE OP GOD. 91 
 
 the genealogical line may lead. From whom did 
 this first of human beings first receive the vital 
 principle ? Not from himself assuredly. No more 
 so from chance, which is uncertain, and which never 
 could have imparted to us the functions of sight, of 
 speech, of intelligence. His life then must have 
 emanated from a being, superior to, and independent 
 of his kind, a being who had always been, and who 
 had never needed production. For if such a being 
 were not self-existent, then all those difficulties of 
 which I have just spoken would recur, and with 
 equal force. This native, inborn vitality is the 
 natural characteristic, the fruitful source, whence 
 his other productions emanate, to which his other 
 attributes are to be traced. It alone constitutes him 
 as one before and above all earthly creatures. On 
 it is based his omnipotence, since none other can 
 limit his power. It endows him with unequalled 
 wisdom, since by virtue of his superiority, he discerns 
 the treasured secrets of his handiworks. Unlimited 
 freedom, and immeasurable resources are his pre- 
 rogatives. To this great cause may be traced the 
 existence of his other attributes." 
 
 "The doctrine of the Jewish priest," said Simon 
 the historian, " is the lesson of universal history. 
 History, philosophically speaking, is but the expo- 
 nent of the professions, the belief, the voice of 
 
92 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 nations. From its pages, we learn that the human 
 race, have, universally, ever believed in, and main- 
 tained the fact of, the existence of a Supreme being, 
 the ruler of the heavens and the earth, the dictator 
 of the fate of mortals. The prince and the people, 
 the philosopher and the husbandman, the civilized 
 man and the untutored savage, have with one com- 
 mon accord professed this fundamental article of all 
 human creeds. Zoroaster, Manethon, Berosus, San- 
 choniathon, Moses, Numa, Plutarch and others, 
 unanimously attest this truth. Their volumes are 
 replete with the words and actions of the gods. 
 Their broken statues, and crumbling temples, buried 
 beneath the rubbish of three thousand years, attest 
 its records. Read the journal of the navigator 
 around the earth ; consult the record of the explorer 
 of deserts, and wild inhospitable regions ? They 
 will tell you, that they have seen cities without 
 walls, people without laws or civilization ; but never 
 have met with beings without a god or gods. How 
 must we account for the fact, that people of different 
 ages and climes, dissimilar in origin, in language, in 
 education, in manners, in interest, should yet be 
 unanimous in their belief in the existence of a god. 
 How, otherwise, than by saying that the father of 
 man has taken especial care to have his name en- 
 graved on the hearts, no less than his image on the 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. . 93 
 
 outward form of all his children ? On this common 
 belief are based the innumerable religious rites and 
 ceremonies which we find prevailing among all na- 
 tions, and which, moreover, are in fact the very 
 basis on which society and national existence repose. 
 These institutions, founded on piety, whether just or 
 mistaken, have always commanded the respect and 
 occupied the attention of the most celebrated and 
 sagacious lawgivers of ancient and modern times ; 
 and have been by them ever regarded as the firmest 
 pillars of order and stability, and as the best safe- 
 guards of virtue and public morality. 
 
 "Hence, to recapitulate; The heavens and the 
 earth, the voice of our own mysterious being, together 
 with the universal acclamation of mankind, unite in 
 testifying to the existence of this great being, who 
 is, and was, and shall forever be, the powerful crea- 
 tor, the wise ruler, the beneficent father, the special 
 friend of man." 
 
 The atheist, perceiving that the current of feeling 
 as well as the drift of the argument, had set in 
 against his unnatural theory, displayed his judgment 
 in remaining silent, though the vexation of disappoint- 
 ment was perceptible on his brow. The great body 
 of the divines, evidently ill-brooked a system which 
 rendered them the helpless offspring of a blind, 
 senseless fate. To give time, however, to the dif- 
 
94 , JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 ferent members to reflect on the arguments which 
 had been advanced by both parties on the subject 
 in question, the council was adjourned for two full 
 days. 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 95 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Prince Justo's emotions at having found the Author of his being. 
 Second meeting of the Council — address of Justo. The great 
 difference between man and the brute — explaned by Xim^nes — 
 by reason of the difference of their powers and faculties — man 
 progressive — the link stationary — the brute for time — man for 
 eternity. Simplicity and immateriality imply eternal duration. 
 The soul cannot perish from natural or physical causes — will 
 not be annihilated. The attributes of God, no less than the 
 faculties of man forbid it. Immortality proved, by the human 
 desire therefor — by the wish for happiness. The Justice of 
 God requires another state of being to reward virtue and punish 
 vice. Virtue and Vice do not contain in themselves their 
 recompense and punishment. 
 
 On the following day, during the recess of the 
 council, might have been seen throughout the valley, 
 groups of divines, engaged in animated discussions 
 upon the important subject of their deliberations 
 during the preceding day. " 0, Prince !" exclaimed 
 Justo. meeting Fugurundono in the garden, " a 
 heavy burthen has been removed from my heart. 
 A thrill of joy pervaded my frame when I heard 
 the venerable Jew so powerfully dilate upon the exis- 
 tence of the Supreme being, whose creations I have 
 so long admired, without being able to discern in 
 them the apparent imprint of their munificent 
 
96 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 author. With what fervor and animation did he 
 discourse of the perfections of that great eternal 
 One, who inhabits the heavens above us ! How 
 often have I in my own thoughts inquired of these 
 same glorious heavens, ' who is your founder V and 
 of this broad earth, * who has begotten you ?' But 
 no inward thought answered me. I have in the 
 same manner inquired of the sun, the moon and 
 the planets, * who has placed you in your respec- 
 tive orbits V But they, on their errand of duty, 
 passed by, unheeding my question. * The fields,' 
 said I, 'have not clothed themselves, nor has the 
 lily woven her own beautiful gown.' Yet I know 
 not him who has decked the birds with golden plu- 
 mage, and fishes with shining pearls. But now, I 
 do know him. Yes, the father of the rainbow is my 
 parent, and him have I vowed, daily, with the rising 
 sun, to worship." 
 
 On the third day the council re-assembled. The 
 Jaco, supreme pontiff of Japan, was appointed to 
 preside in the name of the Emperor, who thereafter 
 took his seat among the princes of the Empire. The 
 minutes of the debates of the preceding meeting 
 having been read, the Rabbi arose, and announced 
 himself prepared to answer any undetermined point 
 which might impede the conclusions of any of the 
 members, relative to the existence of the great 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 97 
 
 sovereign of the universe. But the council by an 
 
 unanimous burst of approbation, declared itself fully 
 
 satisfied, by the arguments which had been adduced. 
 
 Against a decision so enthusiastically manifested, 
 
 the Atheist had not the courage, much less the 
 
 weapons, to contend. Prince Justo now arose, and 
 
 addressed the council as follows : a The physical as 
 
 well as the moral world in which we live, lead us 
 
 directly to the knowledge of Him who has created 
 
 it, and who, by his wise and provident care continues 
 
 to govern it. We indeed see him not, but we behold 
 
 his works, we hear his voice, we feel his power, and 
 
 we repose in the arms of his benevolence, feeling the 
 
 rest and security of nature, when fostered by his 
 
 paternal care. There are indeed many things which 
 
 I would wish to know concerning him, but will not 
 
 urge them, my self-love directing my thoughts into 
 
 another channel. 
 
 " I find myself surrounded with numberless living 
 
 beings, moving and acting in different spheres, and 
 
 each class of them happy and contented in their 
 
 peculiar fashion. They seem affected as I am by 
 
 physical pleasures, and by physical evils ; sensible 
 
 of heat and cold, suffering from hunger and thirst. 
 
 They are fed, and they are satisfied, — they sleep, 
 
 and they are refreshed, — and so they live on from 
 
 season to season, from year to year ; they grow old 
 
 9 
 
98 jusro ucundono. 
 
 and die, they return to dust, and are heard of no 
 more. The beginning and the end of man is appa- 
 rently the same as that of the brute creation. Like 
 it, he comes into being, weak, feeble, and helpless, — 
 he grows up amid pains and pleasures, — pursues his 
 course, brilliant or lowly, as the case may be, — he 
 grows feeble, — sickens, — dies, — returns to his mother 
 earth, where seemingly ends with him all actual 
 vestige of his creation. He is, as though he had 
 never been, and death to all appearance confounds 
 the master with the brute, that served him during 
 life. Is this so ? Is there no final difference 
 between man and the brute ? " 
 
 " That the spirit which animates the godlike form 
 of man," said Ximenes, the Christian philosopher, 
 " differs from, and is widely superior to that vital 
 principle which supports the brute, is evident from 
 the exercise and products of their specific powers 
 and tendencies. Man, by the gigantic powers of his 
 mind, has measured the vast distances of the hea- 
 venly spheres ; has traced out in advance, the 
 irregular course, for ages, of a thousand erratic orbs, 
 floating through the universe ; has acquired for 
 himself a dominion over the expansive ocean ; has 
 laid open to gaze the profound mysteries of the 
 earth; cites before him the remote occurrences of 
 past ages, and with authority decides upon the policy 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 99 
 
 of those actions which these records show ; he shapes 
 and presages the distant future almost at will, nay 
 well nigh approximates its conclusions to fact. 
 Spirits, that have long since departed this mortal 
 sphere, yet live before him, and speak, command, 
 rebuke, applaud, inspire, by their immortal produc- 
 tions, as potently and effectually as though they 
 stood within the range of his ear. 
 
 " Nothing of this applies to the brutes. Ignorant 
 of the heavens above, unconscious of the earth 
 beneath, save that which appertains to their vitality, 
 the food and rest, they are to day precisely what 
 they have always been. Their powers, actions, 
 tendencies, and ends are ever the same, unsusceptible 
 of progress, and consequently incapable of improve- 
 ment. Though many of their proceedings are 
 evincive of tact and ingenuity, these are yet but the 
 result of a common instinct, varying indeed as the 
 one tribe may assimilate to the structure of the most 
 perfect of all animals made. But they have never 
 been, nor can be the suggestions of thought, the 
 promptings of reason. 
 
 " The birds build their nests, the foxes have their 
 dens, and the bees construct their inimitable combs 
 now, precisely as they did in the days of Noah and 
 Nimrod. The lion hunts his prey, rears his young, 
 defends his life, at this time, as did the lion cotem- 
 
100 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 porary with David and Solomon. He knows nothing 
 of the past, nor troubles himself about the future. 
 He is hungry, he seeks his prey, he is thirsty, and 
 he drinks of the stream ; he is fatigued, and he lays 
 himself down to rest. The brute is for self only, 
 and for the present. Man is connected with the 
 past, passes through the present on his way to the 
 great interminable future. He lives not for self 
 only, but, intimately connected with, is necessarily 
 concerned for, an entire universe. Tbis immea- 
 surable difference of tendency, of power, and of 
 action, between man and the brute, clearly denotes 
 for the former a destiny and final end equally 
 marked, distinct, and superior. The brute is for 
 time alone. Man is for both time and eternity. 
 The soul of the brute, if we call it so, was made 
 only to animate the body in which it resides. The 
 soul of man besides animating the body in this life, 
 has a higher mission to fulfil in the life to come. 
 Hence, when the brute dies, the principle of vitality 
 that sustained his body returns to nought, having no 
 ulterior destiny to fulfil. When man expires, on the 
 contrary his soul enters upon her new, her greatest 
 mission, the continuance of which is everlasting." 
 
 " Hence," continued Ximenes, " the human soul 
 is immortal by virtue of its own nature. It is simple 
 and immaterial as all philosophers will admit. Now 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 101 
 
 simplicity and immateriality imply perpetual duration, 
 as a natural consequence of exemption from all causes 
 of decay. There are but two ways in which a thing 
 may perish : first, by solution of its contexture, or 
 the separation of its parts ; secondly, by annihilation. 
 The human soul can not perish in either way. Not 
 by the former, for it has no contexture, being a 
 simple principle. Neither can it be overcome by 
 annihilation. Annihilation is the suspension of the 
 sustaining power by which a being is continued in 
 existence. But no created power can obstruct the 
 influence of the conservative principle by which all 
 things are upheld and sustained. Therefore it is 
 equally beyond this destructive agent, as it is the 
 former. He who created the human soul could, 
 indeed, annihilate it by merely withdrawing his 
 sacred and mysterious influence. That this, how- 
 ever, will not be the case, is guaranteed us by the 
 nature and character of these endowments with 
 which he has gifted the human soul, as well as by 
 the predominating features of his own just and 
 benevolent being. 
 
 " That the Almighty Ruler of the heavens takes 
 not delight in destroying, causelessly, that which he 
 has made, we may with propriety presume, much 
 more so, moreover, when his honor and justice con- 
 demn such a course. We have seen that the human 
 9* 
 
102 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 soul is altogether exempt from any cause of decay, 
 and adapted by its nature to last forever. Why has 
 the all-wise Creator thus constituted it, if he intended 
 that it should be for time only. The brute, uncon- 
 nected with the past or the future, suits the present 
 admirably, and it only. His limited faculties and 
 restrained powers point to the earth as his sphere, 
 and to nothing higher. But man, originating with 
 the past, unsatisfied with the limited nature of the 
 enjoyments of the present life, by the force of his 
 innate powers oversteps the boundaries of temporary 
 existence, soaring afar to view the unknown and 
 mysterious regions of futurity. There he fancies to 
 himself the lapse of ages and ages unceasing, passed 
 in the enjoyment of liberty, and made joyous by 
 the society of beings of kindred spirit. Talk to 
 man of annihilation for eternity, and he shrinks 
 back, instinctively horror-struck, and yet indignant. 
 To live forever is the ruling passion of his heart. 
 No earthly influence can uproot or even modify it. 
 It is an essential ingredient of human nature, and 
 which cannot be eradicated therefrom. And so 
 assured is our belief in our immortality, that it has 
 become in our estimation a fixed fact, an undoubted 
 maxim, on which the entire superstructure of our 
 thoughts, even of our lives, is laid. But who is the 
 author of this soul thus constituted ? Who has 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 103 
 
 taught, nay, who has impelled man to yearn so 
 fervidly after immortality? Who, but God himself? 
 Who else has imbued him with this high and en- 
 nobling desire, which has led to his present earthly 
 rank and superiority? But, to consider a moment 
 the contingency of the destruction of the soul by its 
 Creator, let us suppose that after a number of years, 
 such a thing should occur, and that he who created 
 this glorious element of human life, should reduce it 
 to its former nothingness, would such conduct com- 
 port with a benevolent God, or display his love for 
 his handiwork. It would, indeed, evince cruelty 
 thus to deceive his creature, confident of his pro- 
 tection and assistance, by causing it to aspire with 
 all the powers of its being, to an object which it 
 never could obtain, and which he had never intended 
 to grant. Would any honorable man thus presume 
 to treat his fellow man ? Can we suppose the great 
 magnanimous ruler of the universe less just, less 
 generous, than poor, feeble man ? No ; the soul 
 which he has formed after his own image, will be 
 as lasting as himself. 
 
 "There is another desire, deeply implanted in the 
 soul, the wish for happiness. It is ardent, irresisti- 
 ble, universal as is the desire for immortality. Its 
 ardor is such, that no failure can dampen, no 
 difficulty oppose it. Every human being is controlled 
 
104 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 by its influence. Its aspirations are so unbounded, 
 that earth has nothing which can satiate, it. So 
 lofty are its yearnings, that he who has fully grati- 
 fied his ruling passion has never yet been known on 
 earth. Who has implanted this irrepressible desire 
 for happiness in our breasts? God, who is the 
 author of nature. Then this absorbing feeling of 
 our constitutions must have an object proportionate 
 to its intensity, as a wise Creator could never have 
 implanted it without design. On earth, as I have 
 said, perfect happiness is unattainable. However 
 easy be the gratification of our sincerest wishes, 
 we arc yet sensible of the want of an indefinable 
 source of its full enjoyment. Then, since the 
 present life can afford nothing towards its accom- 
 plishment, it is necessary that there should be another 
 life, in which the great Creator should ordain that 
 the earthly expectations of man be fully realized. 
 Else, he would never create this faculty of the soul, 
 without a legitimate object, or at most one incapable 
 of fulfilment. An opposite determination would 
 argue unfavorably for his possession of those super- 
 human virtues with which he is identified. 
 
 " Because, if the soul is to terminate her existence 
 with her darthly career, then that goal, which by 
 her nature she is compelled to seek, beyond her 
 reach, is forever lost to her, and she has been 
 
IMMOKTALITY OX THE SOUL. 105 
 
 heartlessly deceived by her Creator, who had taught 
 her to contemplate a happiness which she could 
 never enjoy. But, it is not so. The beneficent 
 Author of nature has not acted thus. This im- 
 planted thirst for illimitable felicity, will be satiated, 
 after death, in the kingdom of the blessed, where 
 she will quaff from the pure fountain gushing from 
 the throne of God. 
 
 " Again, if man must perish like the brute, why 
 has the wise Creator, who never acts without pur- 
 pose, endowed him with a nature, and implanted 
 within him, faculties so immeasurably above those 
 of other animate beings ? Why has he given him 
 that comprehensive mind, those acute reasoning 
 powers, and that keen perception of right and 
 wrong ? Wherefore the existence of that sensitive 
 heart ; why that strong affection for beings of his 
 own form ^ and ihat solicitude which is felt for 
 them, even when beyond the grave ? On his 
 memory stand recorded the annals of six thousand 
 years of the past. With a will, whose indomitable 
 purpose spurns danger and death, — with a soul, 
 that overstepping the boundaries of time and space, 
 sallies forth into the age of the future, luxuriating 
 uncontrolled, in regions, beyond the path of the 
 setting sun, beyond the course of the most distant 
 star, — with endowments, glorious like these, he 
 
10G JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 stands aloof from other objects, the pride and 
 ornament of the universe. Now, is the end of this 
 great being to be like unto that of the sparrow, 
 that falls lifeless from the tree ? Where, if this be 
 so, is the wisdom and providence of him that rules 
 the heavens ? Ah, doubt it not. He will bid the 
 aspiring spirit, live on, in the bright realms of 
 immortality, whose sun never sets. 
 
 " Not only does the wisdom and providence of 
 God consistently require that the human soul should 
 not perish with life, his very justice demands it even 
 more imperiously. If there be a God in heaven, 
 and if that God be just, (and who can doubt it,) he 
 must of necessity, reward virtue and punish vice. 
 But we all know, that vice does not always meet 
 with due punishment in this world, and that virtue 
 does not ever obtain an earthly reward, then the 
 justice of the supreme ruler must necessarily possess 
 a world, where, according to its Spirit, the one may 
 be recompensed, the other adjudged. This latter, 
 opposite to the declared law and Word of God, and 
 always injurious to his creatures, must necessarily 
 displease him. Virtue, on the other hand, being 
 in strict conformity with his wishes, as well as with 
 the spirit of charity towards man, must command 
 his unqualified approval. Now, by virtue of his 
 nature, he is bound to reward the one and punish 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 107 
 
 the other. Now, here is a case of one, who has 
 spent his life in the commission of acts of wicked- 
 ness and crime, in outraging his Maker, and in 
 oppressing his fellow-man. He stands condemned 
 before the just tribunal of God, and must suffer 
 punishment according to the laws of unreserved 
 justice. Here is another, whose days have been 
 passed in never-failing fidelity to God, and in 
 accordance with his duty towards his fellow-man, — 
 sacrificing all in behalf of his moral obligations. 
 This one at the bar of eternal justice, is pronounced 
 the faithful servant of God, the compassionate bene- 
 factor of man, and is entitled to recompe nse. G od 
 is not only able and willing, but is compelled by his 
 promise to award to each his deserts. And yet, 
 how often have we seen the wicked man prosperous 
 and happy to the latest hour of his mortal exist- 
 ence, at the same time that we have beheld the 
 virtuous man, not only suffering through life, and 
 deeply afflicted on the verge of the grave, but even 
 rendering his pure soul into the keeping of his 
 Maker, seemingly abandoned by God and man. 
 Where now, if there be no other life beyond the 
 grave, are the virtuous to be rewarded, the wicked 
 to be punished ? Not here ; since both have de- 
 parted hence. Are then, the decrees of God's 
 eternal justice to remain a dead letter ? No. Each 
 
108 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 one will receive according to his deserts. The 
 justice of God then clearly demands that there 
 should be another world, another state of existence, 
 where the great Judge of the universe will settle the 
 open and unfinished accounts of all. 
 
 " This very same doctrine of the immortality of 
 the soul," continued the Philosopher Ximenes, "is 
 sustained by the universal assent of mankind. As 
 yet, there has never existed on the earth, a nation 
 of people so barbarous as not to entertain a firm 
 belief in its unchanging and everlasting immateriality. 
 Nay, more, this conviction was with many of them, 
 far more positive than the existence of God. It 
 was to them the great principle on which their hopes 
 and fears for the future were founded. It was the 
 great regulator, not only of their public life, but of 
 their most secret and hidden thoughts. Its eternal 
 duration was as generally admitted as was the 
 existence of reason itself. Moreover, in this belief, 
 there has been no difference between civilized 
 nations, and those that roam wild and uncontrolled 
 through the forest. By all classes has the same 
 creed been professed and maintained alike by Greek 
 and Barbarian ; by Jew and Gentile ; by the red 
 and by the white man ; by the Ethiopian and the 
 inhabitant of the isles. 
 
 " But who could have taught this mysterious 
 
IMMORTALITY OP THE SOUL. 109 
 
 doctrine to all the tribes of the earth ? If man be 
 no more than a piece of living clay, who has been 
 able to impress this earthly matter with sentiments 
 so exalted and sublime, as is this doctrine of the 
 soul's immortality? Education could not have 
 tutored him, since it varies greatly among the 
 different nations of the earth, whereas this is every- 
 where the same. Customs, manners, and interest, 
 climes, temperatures, and prejudices, vary with 
 different races, but the belief in the soul's immor- 
 tality nowhere varies, it is admitted alike in the four 
 quarters of the globe. The author of nature must 
 then have been the originator of this great moral 
 truth, and from him falsehood could not have 
 emanated. Its existence is evidently then as un- 
 doubted as that of God himself." 
 
 " The reasons you have advanced," said the Jaco, 
 " in support of this great dogma, are well calculated to 
 impress conviction upon the heart. It seems indeed 
 inexplicable how so great a being as the Creator could 
 have wished to impose upon his creature a delusive 
 expectation, by forming an inborn desire, for that 
 boon whose ultimate bestowal he had never contem- 
 plated. What satisfaction could he experience in 
 thus deceiving man ? Why should he constitute him 
 so ardent in the pursuit of that happiness which 
 
 earth does not afford, if he had not reserved another 
 
 10 
 
110 JTIBTO ITCUNDONO. 
 
 world, where this long sought object could be ob- 
 tained ? Moreover, it is true that a just God should 
 reward virtue and punish vice, — but our ancestors 
 have taught us, and experience would seem to con- 
 firm their doctrine, to a certain extent, — that virtue is 
 actually rewarded in this life, by the pleasure arising 
 from the performance of praise-worthy deeds, — and 
 that vice is punished by the never-failing remorse 
 attendant upon the commission of evil actions. This 
 fact then would seem to lessen to the force of your 
 proposition, that the immortality of the soul arises 
 and is necessitated from the justice of God." 
 
 " The delight attendant upon virtue, and the 
 remorse consequent upon vice," replied the philoso- 
 pher, " arise not so much from the nature of the 
 deed itself, as from our anticipation of the reward or 
 punishment thereof awaiting us in another world. 
 Why do we experience a solace so exquisite in the per- 
 formance of an act of goodness ? Because we are 
 conscious that there is watching us, one, on high, who 
 records every emotion of the heart, every thought of 
 the mind, with a view to a future recompense or 
 punishment. And why is the memory of evil deeds 
 continually gnawing our repose ? Because our con- 
 science is aware that a mysterious hand is writing 
 on the wall, the statement of a debt which must be 
 paid. If there were no future state, this sweetness 
 in virtue, and bitterness in vice, would be reversed, 
 
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. Ill 
 
 for many things which are viewed as commendable 
 would be considered as vicious, and many courses 
 which are now deemed vicious would be ranked as 
 virtuous. For, if there be no future world, then the 
 practice of that which best promotes my interests in 
 this life, would be true virtue, and the pursuance of 
 a course opposite thereto would as undoubtedly be 
 vice. It would then be indeed foolishness in me to 
 be just and generous, sober and chaste, since it would 
 cost me some painful sacrifices, which I could have 
 no object in making. To indulge myself in every 
 luxury ; to obtain, at any hazard, that which will 
 please my sense and gratify my passions, — would be 
 my proper duty. If there be no other life, — when, 
 where, and how could the virtuous receive the reward 
 of a well-spent life, or the wicked, the punishment 
 due to their crimes ? If there be, indeed, no other 
 life, then is the doctrine of Epicurus correct." 
 
 " Where," exclaimed Prince Justo, "is the sincere 
 and unprejudiced mind that can still doubt the im- 
 mortal nature of the soul, and where is the heart 
 conscious of its own vitality and yearning, that will 
 not glory in assenting to a belief so creditable, so 
 flattering to human nature ? To me, it bears the 
 unmistakeable impress of truth, and I feel honored 
 in thus admitting it." The council unanimously 
 coincided in his opinion, and adjourned until the 
 following day. 
 
PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 
 
 Third meeting of the Council. End of creation — to manifest the 
 perfections of God. Glory is internal and external — the one 
 cannot be augmented — the other may. An intelligent mind is 
 necessary to glorify God, in his works. Man is the herald of 
 his fame. God to be honored — as after the manner of an 
 earthly prince. Difference between good and evil deeds, deter- 
 mined from their conformity with, or opposition to the nature 
 of God, and his perfections — established by the common consent 
 of humanity. God must approve and commend the good — con- 
 demn and prohibit the evil. Man bound to do the former, and 
 to avoid the latter — comprises a compendium of the law of 
 nature. Man has free will. He may yield or refuse obedience 
 to this law. This free-will constitutes the ground of merit and 
 demerit. 
 
 Those great truths, upon which the Council had 
 just determined, namely, the existence of a God, the 
 eternal vitality of the soul, and the existence of a 
 future world, made a deep impression on the suscep- 
 tible nature of the prince. " There is a God," said 
 he, " all-wise, eternal, almighty, — and there are 
 beings gifted with reason and intelligence, whose 
 souls are destined not to perish, since there is another 
 world ready to welcome the spirits of those who have 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 113 
 
 finished their earthly pilgrimage. Yes, the divine 
 essence within me, by which I am enabled to think, 
 by which I am animated by hope, and depressed by 
 fear, shall live, and act and expand ten thousand 
 ages hence, with vigor undiminished, with powers 
 unimpaired. God is the creator, I am the creature. 
 To him, I owe all that I have. He is the parent, 
 I am the child. He has the right to command, my 
 part is to obey. But how can I be informed of his 
 will and pleasure ? Upon that all important subject, 
 the Council must likewise enlighten me." 
 
 This body met at the appointed hour. There was 
 a full attendance of Divines, who evinced much 
 anxiety in the day's proceedings, as it had been 
 announced that highly important questions were 
 about to be brought forward. On this morning, 
 moreover, fifteen new divines, in singular costume, 
 representatives of distant nations, took their seats in 
 the assemblage. On the entrance of Nobunango and 
 his court, the investigations were resumed. Justo 
 with a thoughtful aspect, and calm demeanour, rose, 
 and said, " Gentlemen, philosophers, and divines, 
 you have fully convinced me of the existence of the 
 Supreme Being, — you have clearly shown that the 
 great essence of man's nature must survive the grave, 
 — and that there is another world beyond the bound- 
 aries of the present, which this immortal part of 
 10* 
 
114 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 man is destined to inhabit after the decay of his 
 mere outward form. You have thrown open to my 
 view new and vast and unexplored regions of 
 thought. At every onward step I take in this new 
 Creation, new mysteries cluster around me. But 
 before advancing further into this unknown Spiritual 
 future, I would wish to learn yet more of the won- 
 derful scenes by which I am surrounded. And first 
 of all, I would inquire, for what gr_eat purpose has 
 this world been created, and what particular part has 
 man been destined to act in it ? " 
 
 "This world was created," said Ximenes, "to 
 manifest the glory of its author, by thus exhibiting 
 his high perfections. And man was destined to be 
 the herald of that glory. The Supreme Being ex- 
 isted from eternity, but was pleased to manifest him- 
 self by this act in time, which act is but the offspring 
 of his sovereign will. This almighty decree was sug- 
 gested by infinite wisdom, which could not act un- 
 designedly, but which proposed an object worthy of 
 itself. Now no object could be worthy of this infinite 
 wisdom, except the Creator himself, or something 
 connected with him, — hence he, or something apper- 
 taining to him, must have produced creation, since 
 he alone existed. Such being the case, there are 
 only three motives which can prompt an intelligent 
 being to act, — namely, the desire of profit ; the love 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 115 
 
 of pleasure; the ambition for renown, — now, properly 
 could form no object to a being, himself the possessor 
 of all things. Neither could he be affected by plea- 
 sure, since he, omnipotent, is the source of all de- 
 light. Glory, then, or renown, must have been the 
 end which the Creator proposed to himself, when he 
 began the great work of creation.'' 
 
 "How ?" observed the philosopher Taico, "has not 
 he enough of glory, who is the possessor of all ? 
 Does his fame admit of augmentation any more than 
 his other attributes?" 
 
 " Glory," replied Ximenes, " is twofold, internal 
 and external, or we might say, public approbation 
 and private exultation. The entire being, with all 
 his faculties, powers, and attributes, as he actually 
 is, constitute his inner worth ; and from this results 
 his inward glory. And inasmuch as this intrinsic 
 merit becomes known to others, in so much does it 
 tend to his external or public fame. Let me illus- 
 trate my statement. My friend has a generous dis- 
 position, which prompts him to perform many a 
 noble act in private, for which, unseen by any human 
 eye, he receives no credit. This is internal renowu, 
 known only to him and the Supreme ruler of heaven. 
 But finally these generous deeds are discovered and 
 observed by his fellow men, who give publicity to 
 the fact, and his inward happiness becomes public 
 
116 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 renown. Still, in both cases, it is the same nature 
 which generates the action, and the same person who 
 performs it. 
 
 "In like manner is the glory of God two-fold. 
 The first is internal, such as he is known to himself, 
 the second is external, such as he is known to other 
 beings. The former is essentially infinite, and can- 
 not be augmented. He is what he is, and knows 
 himself perfectly. But other beings whose percep- 
 tions are limited, can never be made cognizant of all 
 that is within him, but only of so much as he chooses 
 to manifest to them by his works. 
 
 " It is this second kind of glory which the Creator 
 proposed to himself in his outward manifestations. 
 He developed to our reason as much of his high per- 
 fections as created intellects could appreciate. By a 
 simple fiat, he produced this splendid universe, with 
 its innumerable and wondrous beauties. It is from 
 this that we derive our idea of his unlimited power. 
 He rules it by just, stable, and equitable laws. 
 Hence our notion of his wonderful providence and 
 wisdom. We see him administer to the wants, and 
 provide for the comfort of every living thing, which 
 impresses us with a belief in his paternal goodness. 
 
 " But this exhibition of power, wisdom, and kind- 
 ness, would have been made to no purpose, unless 
 there were intelligent beings to see and to appre- 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 117 
 
 ciate it, and give honor where honor was due. 
 Hence the duty, the great end of man, who was cre- 
 ated to praise and glorify his God. For he only, of 
 all created beings, could understand and properly 
 rate his great achievement. The universe is indeed 
 a great volume on which stand recorded, the won- 
 derful perfections of the Deity ; but the book cannot 
 read itself. A rational mind then is necessary to 
 interpret the language therein written, and to inter- 
 pret its sentiments to the rest of creation. This is 
 the affair of man. For this, he has been sent into 
 this world. It is the great task of his life, which 
 when done, all is done, when neglected, all is ne- 
 glected. 
 
 " There may be, in the great system of this uni- 
 verse, other worlds, other suns, and moons, and 
 brilliant constellations, hidden from our view. If 
 this be so, there must be other intelligent beings to 
 inhabit, or at least to survey those unexplored crea- 
 tion^ else the great architect would have exerted his 
 power, and employed his skill in vain." 
 
 "What you have said seems just and reasonable," 
 observed the Jaco; "if the Almighty designed to make 
 known his perfections by means of the creation, in- 
 telligent beings would be needed to conceive the mag- 
 nitude, and properly to estimate his power as thereby 
 exhibited. And since man is the only being on 
 
118 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 earth, gifted with such appreciative faculties, it is 
 evident that he is charged with the important mis- 
 sion of glorifying the great Creator. 
 
 " But you have not told us the manner in which 
 this great mission is to be accomplished." " The 
 Sovereign of the universe," replied Ximenes, "is 
 honored after the same manner in which we honor 
 an earthly prince. Natural reason will, in both 
 cases, be our guide and instructor. Here is a great 
 sovereign, who, by his wisdom, his benevolence, and 
 his power, has rendered his people secure, pros- 
 perous and happy. They understand and fully 
 appreciate the beneficent exertions of their ruler. 
 A sense of justice and gratitude prompts them to 
 return their acknowledgment of this liberality. 
 Hence they praise his actions, and extol his motives, 
 as far as they are able. They study his will and 
 pleasure, and seek to accomplish his desires. In a 
 similar manner is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe 
 to be honored and obeyed by all his rational crea- 
 tures, who are indebted to him for their existence 
 and happiness." 
 
 " This is a reasonable and correct view, no doubt," 
 said the Jaco, " but how am I to ascertain the will 
 and pleasure of this great sovereign ? How can I, 
 an inhabitant of the earth, be informed of his wishes, 
 whose abode is in the heavens ?" 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 119 
 
 " The course which he has ordained," answered 
 Ximenes, " is that you be your own guide and in- 
 structor, until he himself shall deign to declare to 
 you his positive commands. By the force of reason, 
 you may discern what is right from what is wrong, 
 and determine those which are good, and those which 
 are evil deeds. The former please — the latter neces- 
 sarily displease the God of truth. Now, amongst 
 human actions, there are some which impress our 
 judgment as being correct, whilst there are others, 
 which strike us as being evil. On what grounds is 
 this difference based? On the nature and perfec- 
 tions of the Supreme being, as far as we may have 
 ascertained them by human inquiry. Having disco- 
 vered him to be just, truthful, merciful, benevolent, 
 we class those actions which are of this character as 
 being pleasing to him, and consequently as proper to 
 be enacted ; whilst those which cannot be reckoned 
 under this category, are viewed by us as displeasing 
 to him, and consequently as morally pernicious. For 
 example, here is an undutiful son, who insults and 
 disobeys an aged helpless parent, who has given to 
 him life, and who has grown grey in toiling for his 
 welfare. Such a course is revolting to God, to his 
 eternal law and nature, and therefore is discoun- 
 tenanced by human reason. Here is another son, 
 who at the risk of his own life, rescues the old 
 
 \/ 
 
/ 
 
 120 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Anchises from the midst of burning Troy. Such a 
 deed is agreeable to the wishes of the great parent 
 of the universe, and in conformity with his ordi- 
 nances, and is, consequently, approved by the tri- 
 bunal of human judgment." 
 
 " This dogma of the fundamental nature of good 
 and evil deeds," said Taico, "has been the living 
 faith of the world for six thousand years. We have 
 never heard of a nation, where fraud, violence, in- 
 gratitude, impiety or injustice, were eulogized or 
 rewarded. Nor have we heard of a people, who have 
 ever condemned benevolence, gratitude, reverence, or 
 punished charitable or generous deeds to men. Con- 
 sult their public and private annals, and amid such 
 an almost chaotic variety of wild, conflicting dogmas, 
 such innumerable, strange and absurd codes of mo- 
 rality, — you will find every where the same notions 
 of right and wrong, the same ideas of honesty and 
 duplicity. Often indeed have men made to them- 
 selves abominable gods, but in vain did vice descend 
 from heaven, armed with sacred authority. The 
 moral instinct of man invariably repelled it from the 
 heart. And, whilst passion extolled the lewdness of 
 Jove, reason, robed with modesty, admired the 
 chastity of Xenocrates. The sinless Lucretia wor- 
 shipped Venus, as the native purity of the old 
 Romans impelled her. Some of the ancient Divini- 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 121 
 
 ties, indeed, presented examples of every thing 
 wicked and detestable; but the sacred voice of 
 nature, far stronger, than that of the wicked gods, 
 made itself respected and obeyed throughout the 
 earth. There is engraven on our souls, the print of 
 virtue, of justice, and of rectitude, by which standard, 
 despite the influence of cherished maxims, we judge 
 of the virtuous or vicious character of our own 
 actions, or of those of others. Where can be found 
 that people, among whom fraud is a virtue and 
 honesty a crime? 
 
 " The difference between good and evil then, 
 resulting as actions are in conformity with or 
 opposed to the spirit of the Divine nature, — God 
 must necessarily in vindication of his own attributes, 
 approve and encourage virtuous deeds, and condemn 
 and punish wicked ones. And we, as rational beings, 
 having ascertained those actions which are contrary 
 to the Divine nature, are bound to avoid them, as we 
 are obliged to practice those which we find conform- 
 able to the law of God. Again, as order is a promi- 
 nent attribute of the Deity, he must necessarily 
 enforce it in his commands to his earthly creatures. 
 Now order requires that every being should act 
 according to the faculties which it has received from 
 its celestial author. He having bestowed reason 
 
 upon man, demands of him that he shall be guided 
 
 11 
 
122 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 by its dictates. But reason prompts man to do good 
 and to avoid evil, and this authority emanating from 
 the Great Ruler, whose province is to command, and 
 whose wish is to benefit man, (which can be accom- 
 plished but in this manner) requires man to perform 
 the one, and to shun the other. Here, then, is a 
 compendium of the natural moral law, embraced in 
 these few words: 'Do good and avoid evil.' ' 
 
 "But how," observed the Atheist Triphon, can 
 man be bound to do good and to avoid evil, being, 
 as he is, a mere creature of circumstances, easily 
 wrought upon by external causes, and by no means 
 master of his own actions ?" 
 
 "That the moral freedom of man is no chimera, 
 but a demonstrable reality," replied the philosopher 
 Taico, "is so evident to most men, that it seems 
 strange that it should ever have been questioned. 
 After quietly listening to all that philosophers can 
 adduce against my conviction of the freedom of 
 thought and action, I am as thoroughly persuaded, 
 (as though they had not argued), that I am, at that 
 very moment, free to rise or remain sitting, to read 
 or to write, to think of matters abroad, or of those 
 at home ; to pray to God, and keep his command- 
 ments, or to transgress them by yielding to the 
 devil, the world, and the flesh; and no reasoning, 
 however cogent, could convince me of the contrary. 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. 123 
 
 Physical force may indeed overcome the body, but 
 cannot control the mind. And should even the 
 body suffer violence, the soul within it is as free as 
 the air it breathes. It condemns or approves, cen- 
 sures or praises, at will. Why do we make promises 
 to our fellow-man, years previous to their fulfilment ? 
 Is it not because we are inwardly persuaded that we 
 will be free to realize those promises, whenever we 
 may deem it proper ! There are indeed several 
 requisites needed to enable us to exercise this divine 
 faculty. We must have objects from which to select, 
 we also must in the selection be influenced by some 
 motive. But these are only, simple conditions of 
 action, and do not determine, as they do not impede, 
 our will. Should a hundred considerations induce me 
 to a particular course of action, I am nevertheless 
 free to adopt a line of conduct precisely opposite 
 thereto ; and, of this privilege I am always well 
 conscious. It is true, that to some extent, we are 
 compelled to seek happiness, since to wish evil for 
 the sake of evil, we are scarcely at liberty. But 
 this, again, is but a circumstance attending the exer- 
 cise of free will, since we may choose the evil for 
 other reasons. We may moreover seek happiness in 
 any manner we please ; we may even seek it in evil 
 itself. We need a motive, — our simple wish is in 
 this sense, sufficient for any action. ' I have done 
 
124 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 so, because I chose,' is the final motive of every 
 deed. This free will, which all experience within 
 themselves, is the ground upon which rests merit 
 and demerit in man ; the principle by which is regu- 
 lated the distribution of rewards and punishments 
 in this or in a future world. For no one should be 
 held accountable for actions beyond his power to 
 control." 
 
 "That we are free to do good or evil," said Prince 
 Fugurundono, "we are all conscious. The former, 
 besides being agreeable to ourselves, is no less con- 
 formable to the wishes of the Supreme Being. That 
 He must approve it, and condemn that which con- 
 flicts with it, is equally evident. Yet it will forever 
 remain true, that man often neglects that which he 
 approves, and adopts that which he condemns. What 
 means then has the great lawgiver adopted to 
 enforce the natural law?" 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 125 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 There are rewards and punishments after death in order to 
 enforce upon earth the tenets of the natural law — They must 
 be sufficient to persuade the will, without compelling it — There 
 are none such in this life — Then must there be in the next — No 
 rewards worthy of virtue, except those which are eternal — 
 Then must the punishment of vice be everlasting — The wicked 
 soul is as immortal as the just one — It obtains no recompense — 
 It then must be visited with retribution — No rewards sufficient 
 to ensure the observance of the law of nature, except those 
 which are eternal — It becomes G6d to reward the good, and to 
 punish the evil — Evil propensities are not inherent, but a cor- 
 ruption of liberal feelings — We have reason by which to control 
 them — Our evil inclinations must be repressed and overcome, 
 otherwise would society be subverted — We should endeavor 
 to follow good — Annihilation not a sufficient punishment for 
 crime — Conclusion of Ximenes' argument. 
 
 " The eternal lawgiver," answered Ximenes, 
 
 "like all human legislators, has thought proper to 
 
 secure the observance of his commands by means of 
 
 rewards and punishments. The law of nature is 
 
 more universal and more important than all human 
 
 laws, because in it is involved the dearest interest 
 
 of every man, on it depends the chief happiness 
 
 of mankind. Its observance then being of greater 
 
 importance, is more imperatively demanded than 
 
 that of any other law or system of laws. But all 
 11* 
 
126 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 human lawgivers have made provision to secure the 
 enactment of their decrees, by instituting the distri- 
 bution of rewards and punishments. On much more 
 imperative grounds then is the eternal lawgiver 
 bound to secure obedience from his creatures by 
 similar means. Again, his own honor, no less than 
 the interest of his people, demands that the law of 
 nature receive this universal homage. But this 
 result can be obtained in no other manner than by 
 proper inducements, none of which are more power- 
 ful than those I have just named. It were surely 
 highly discreditable to the nature and attributes of 
 the Supreme Being were he unable to attain those 
 ends which he had proposed to himself in the crea- 
 tion of this very law. Moreover, rewards and punish- 
 ments are imperatively demanded by the spirit of 
 this law itself, on which is hinged the weal or woe of 
 of mankind. 
 
 " And these rewards and punishments must be of 
 a certain kind. They should be sufficiently powerful 
 to persuade the will, without being arbitrary enough 
 to compel it, else they would destroy human liberty. 
 To effect desirably the result, they should be of a 
 nature at once earnest and characteristic. Man is a 
 creature frail and wayward, his passions are violent, 
 his temptations multifarious; his reasoning powers 
 are uncertain in their action, often clouded and way- 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 127 
 
 ward. Unmindful of the admonitions of justice, 
 none but motives the most persuasive, incentives 
 the most irresistible can secure his affections or his 
 allegiance to the mandates of the Divine will. 
 
 " Now, I maintain that earth affords no rewards, 
 of sufficient value, to recompense the observer of 
 these laws, nor can it inflict punishments sufficiently 
 terrific and retributive to form an adequate chastise- 
 ment for the transgressor. All the good or evil 
 which by any possible chance may fall to the lot 
 of any man in the present life, is far below that 
 which even reason demands, in order to secure a 
 proper obedience to the Divine will. Moreover, in 
 this life, it is not always the observers of this law 
 who are Tewarded : nor the transgressors who are 
 punished. Good and evil is distributed among the 
 righteous and the sinful indiscriminately. And if 
 there be any distinction in the visitation, it is not 
 unfrequently in favor of the latter. From this it is 
 evident that the mundane career of man is not the 
 sphere in which his deserts are to be acknowledged, 
 or his vices denounced." 
 
 " Admitting this," said Triphon, " what follows ?" 
 " Simply this," replied Ximenes. " The great law- 
 giver has in another world determined rewards and 
 punishments of a very different kind from those 
 which man can devise. In order that they be 
 
128 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 efficacious in the accomplishment of their design, 
 they must necessarily be eternal. I am an immortal 
 being, hence my recompense should be immortal. 
 Supposing that I may enjoy my reward but for a 
 time, upon its expiration, what am I to expect. 
 Any gift, however rare, would cease to be such, if 
 connected with the apprehension of losing it. And 
 the greater the good conferred upon me, the more 
 painful would become the thought of being obliged 
 to part with it. 
 
 " Again he who rewards virtue, is the bounteous 
 Lord of the universe. Any recompense which he 
 bestows must necessarily be in keeping with his 
 majesty and superior attributes. Now, can any 
 blessing emanating from him, other than an eternal 
 one, be considered as such ? Emphatically, no. How 
 very ungodlike would that great Being render him- 
 self, did he allow his donations to be circumscribed 
 by the bonds of time ? In what light would not his 
 creatures estimate that celestial benevolence, which 
 after bestowing upon his creature a few years of 
 happiness would suddenly withdraw the hand of 
 remuneration, and again plunge him in his former 
 distress and misery, and that too after having more- 
 over himself implanted within this creature's heart 
 the irrepressible yearning after illimitable and never- 
 ending felicity? Would conduct like this comport 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 129 
 
 with even a man, of ordinary impulses of gratitude 
 and benevolence ? Moreover, if man has served his 
 God with all the powers of his mind, and all the 
 affections of his heart during his earthly career, is 
 he not fairly entitled to a recompense commensurate 
 with his refined perceptions and enlightened facul- 
 ties ? Now the attributes of man not only qualify 
 him for eternal happiness, but by the very consti- 
 tution of his nature, a less reward would be 
 unsatisfactory to, and irreconcileable with his 
 thoughts, his feelings, his deeply seated aspirations. 
 And the just God of nature is in reason bound to 
 furnish that to which his subject may justly lay 
 claim. The rewards of virtue, then, are necessarily 
 unchangeable, irrevocable, and eternal — by reason 
 of the nature of man, and in accordance with the 
 attributes of the Deity. 
 
 But if the reward of virtue be everlasting, why 
 should not the punishment of vice be likewise so? 
 Is the soul of the wicked one, of a different nature, 
 of a less durable construction than that of the just 
 man ? Immortality is common to both. For ever- 
 lasting weal or woe must they then be destined. 
 The soul of the wicked can assuredly lay claim to no 
 recompense, and therefore cannot obtain it. It 
 must then be miserable, since existence without 
 happiness is misery. Besides it must necessarily be 
 
130 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 the prey of deep regret, bitter anguish, irretrievable 
 despair ; of regret, for the happiness forever lost 
 to it by its own folly; of anguish, at its present 
 unhappy condition ; of despair, by the consciousness 
 of being unable ever to repair the faults of the past, 
 or by any possibility to change its situation for a 
 less unhappy fate. Would not thoughts like these 
 apart from positive punishment, constitute a hell 
 sufficiently terrible ? It is the circumstance of the 
 eternal duration of our being which renders rewards 
 and punishments, a means so efficacious in enforcing 
 the observance of the Divine commands. Decree 
 any punishment, however severe, against the trans- 
 gressors of this law, — but leave a hope that it will 
 finally terminate, — and its great moral power in 
 deterring men from the commission of vice, is 
 destroyed. But, on the other hand, institute a 
 reckoning sufficiently trivial, and add to it the 
 dreadful circumstance of its perpetual duration, — 
 and at once it acts as a never failing check upon 
 the actions of men, a powerful restraint on vice, a 
 ready incentive to virtue. Hence I maintain that 
 nought but eternal rewards and punishments can 
 constitute motives sufficiently strong to induce men, 
 under existing circumstances, generally, to comply 
 with the precepts of the law of nature. But if by 
 the nature of man's earthly constitution these are 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 131 
 
 required, a wise and just creator must have es- 
 tablished them, and consequently, their character 
 must be eternal." 
 
 "Is it not unworthy so exalted a being," observed 
 Triphon, "to descend so low as to become a spy 
 upon human actions? What matter can it be to 
 him, whether we, trivial creatures act properly or 
 improperly here below ? Can insignificant worms of 
 the earth, who quake before the majesty of his look, fr 
 merit the attention of heaven's glorious king? 
 
 " I3 it not derogatory to his exalted majesty, to 
 take upon himself an office so undignified, as that of 
 exercising a censorship over, the every-day actions 
 of man?" ' , 
 
 " Much more lowly, if so," answered Ximenes, 
 " is the conduct of man, in his endeavors to degrade 
 the character of his Maker, by reducing the Divine L 
 perfections to the level of his own grovelling mind ; 
 by estimating the splendor of his attributes, by 
 comparison with a human standard. God is not 
 like man ; nor are his conceptions and acts, like the 
 thoughts and efforts of men. He need not descend 
 from his high estate to inspect our conduct. Not 
 only our words and deeds, but the most secret 
 thoughts of our souls lie open to his all-seeing eye. 
 With a single glance, he inspects every corner of 
 the extended universe, and reads the deeds of all 
 
132 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 mankind, as they have occurred, as they are acting, 
 as they will be. No exertions then are requisite on 
 the part of God, to ascertain the thoughts and 
 doings of men. In virtue of his infinitely perfect 
 nature and attributes, he necessarily knows and sees 
 all that may occur. And as the nature of these 
 acts demands, with the same ease does he decree the 
 meed of praise, or the retribution of vice. 
 
 "Again, if it became the Supreme Ruler to create 
 man, it is but natural to suppose that it would like- 
 wise behoove him to take proper care of him. His 
 law involves and comprises the chief, the greatest 
 interest of man, hence' the creator should enforce 
 the observance of its precepts, for the very purpose 
 of benefitting those over whom he is to preside, and 
 whose welfare he feels bound to promote. But this 
 obedience cannot be secured without decreeing chas- 
 tisements for the transgressor, and recompense for 
 the observer of the law." 
 
 "Why, at least," said Triphon, "should a just 
 God inflict punishment upon man for the exercise 
 of those passions and evil propensities, which have, 
 despite his will, been imposed upon him, and which 
 he is compelled to retain ? Can it be wrong to obey 
 the promptings of that influence which the Author 
 of our nature has implanted within our breasts ?" 
 
 " To have inclinations and desires, however violent 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 133 
 
 or wicked," returned Ximenes, " is not offensive to 
 the Deity, and can therefore form no proper subject 
 for punishment. It is our free and deliberate . 
 acquiescence in, and indulgence of these passions, 
 which constitutes crime, and this disposition of them ^/ 
 is always under the option of our own wishes. We 
 have the power of yielding to, or resisting tempta- 
 tion. Besides, these propensities and desires are 
 not the gift of the Creator, but the consequences of 
 man's deliberate transgression. We came forth 
 from his hands, pure, holy, and spotless. Our own 
 disobedience, and the abuse of our natural generous 
 impulses have made us what we are, when subject 
 to passion, and capable of sin. In yielding to the 
 passions then, we do not make use of the gift of 
 God, but are infected with the corruption of sin. 
 And what would become of the world and of our 
 race, should men exchange passion for judgment, 
 and adopt desire as the rule of their actions. Then 
 would the immutable principles of justice indeed be 
 changed, right confounded with wrong, every 
 security of life, liberty and fortune destroyed. 
 The will of the strongest would then be the only 
 recognized law. I need but covet my neighbor's 
 goods to have a title to the same. And should he dare 
 to interpose between me and the gratification of my 
 
 wishes, his very life would perhaps be sacrificed. 
 
 12 
 
134 JITSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Did I dislike a father's rule, or long for his fortune, 
 poison, or the dagger, would be lawful means to 
 accomplish my end, and to secure these, my natural 
 rights. It is evident, that the welfare of society, 
 and the individual security of man demand that our 
 conduct be regulated by other monitors than those 
 of passion or unrestrained desire. 
 
 " The impulses of uncultivated or deteriorated 
 nature, are indeed powerful agents of evil, yet we 
 have within us a conservative principle by which 
 they may be controlled and subdued. Amid the 
 wildest and most chaotic play of the passions, the 
 admonishing voice of reason is heard, and its firm 
 and solemn tones speak to the soul of the helpless 
 and maddened being, in a voice, whose spirit is, 
 ' thus far shalt thou go, but no farther.' It incul- 
 cates upon the mind of man that nothing is more 
 foolish and impolitic than to yield to the first 
 cravings of desire. All those human laws which the 
 experience of ages has recommended, lay down as 
 a fixed principle, that the evil propensities of our 
 nature must at all hazards be repressed. Such is, 
 moreover, the universal voice of rational nature. 
 And those men, who in any age have been lauded 
 as heroes, have been distinguished for their triumphs 
 over native brutality, whereas those who have 
 blindly yielded to the excesses of their passions, 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 135 
 
 have merited, and justly received the execration of 
 all mankind. 
 
 " But our propensities are not all of the evil kind.\ 
 "We find within us virtuous and honorable senti- 
 ments. If the desires of the flesh would fain level 
 us with the brute, does not the voice of the spiritual 
 law elevate us to the sphere of angelic nature ? 
 Why do you decide in favor of evil, by calling 
 wicked propensities natural ? Can you find no 
 reason for designating your virtuous inclinations by 
 that honorable appellation ? ' But,' you reply, ' my 
 evil desires are the strongest and most irrepressible.' 
 But this very violence of their action, is an evident 
 proof that they are not natural, but a perversion 
 and abuse of those sympathies and generous im- 
 pulses, which, in the dawn of creation, the Almighty 
 bestowed upon us. And despite those violent passions 
 which occupy at times the heart of man, reason yet 
 rules supremely in the moral world, as does the sun 
 in the physical creation. 
 
 " It is impious then, to charge on the author of 
 our being crimes, resulting from our own wilful 
 transgressions. It is unjust and ungenerous to hold 
 him responsible for our corrupted tastes, and vitiated 
 minds. Before us he has placed good and evil, and 
 bestows upon us the full freedom to choose as we 
 may. Having declared to us his will and pleasure, 
 
 / 
 
136 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 and apprised us of the consequences of disobeying 
 it, to our own folly must we attribute the retribution 
 which overtakes us if we obstinately persist in our 
 evil conduct." 
 
 "At least," said Triphon, " the Almighty's anger 
 should be appeased by a total destruction of the 
 criminal object of his justice. What pleasure can 
 he derive from the spectacle of a poor soul eternally 
 miserable by the act of its Creator ? Let him 
 reward his friend with bliss eternal ; whilst reducing 
 his enemies to that nought from which he called 
 them forth! Surely annihilation is a punishment 
 sufficiently terrible to satisfy the demands of his 
 injured honor, — sufficiently effective to atone for 
 past misdemeanor." 
 
 " Like those of the faithful," replied Ximenes, 
 " the souls of the wicked partake of the character of 
 immortality. To utterly destroy them, requires 
 then the intervention of infinite power. Why should 
 the Almighty, however, enact a miracle in order to 
 deprive them of a life, which, by their own actions, 
 they have rendered intolerable to themselves? 
 Why should they, who, even with their dying breath 
 insulted him, merit such a boon ? Annihilation 
 would indeed be a welcome visitation to those, 
 having nought but misery to expect from a pro- 
 tracted existence. Threaten the impious man with 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 137 
 
 this species of mitigated punishment, and you will 
 discover, that after being conscious of the retribu- 
 tion which awaits his guilt, with his whole feeling he 
 will desire it. And the more you succeed in per- 
 suading him that his whole being will finally cease 
 to be, and that his end will be like unto that of the 
 brute, the more recklessly will he pursue his career 
 of wickedness and crime. And candidly, what is 
 there in the thought of annihilation, calculated to 
 give rise to serious uneasiness or regret in the mind 
 of the impious man ? He is to be separated from 
 his God ? But what to him is the loss of a God, 
 whom he has never known, whom he has never loved, 
 and who will manifest neither mercy nor kindness 
 towards him in the world to come ? He is to be 
 withdrawn from kindred beings, never more to enjoy 
 the society of those with whom he has been asso- 
 ciated ! But he was connected with them only by 
 means of the unnatural bonds of crime, which death 
 must sever. Can he regret the loss of present 
 pleasures and enjoyments ? These must necessarily 
 terminate with life. Shall he dread forever to close 
 his eyes upon the bright regions of present life ? 
 Of what solace can existence be to him who lives, 
 hated by his fellow-man, disgusted with himself, and 
 despised by his God ? Evidently annihilation would 
 
 be to him the most desirable termination of a wicked 
 12* 
 
138 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 life. But in this wish, eternal justice cannot indulge 
 the criminal. He must forever live on in unending 
 torments for his voluntary transgressions." 
 
 " Eternal rewards and unending punishments are 
 then being prepared in the world to come, for every 
 human being who has breathed the air of life. No 
 recompense for virtuous deeds is worthy of the 
 infinite bounty of God, unless it be as lasting as the 
 spirit on whom it is to be conferred. And none 
 other could realize the expectations of the immortal 
 soul. Eternal chastisements must likewise be 
 inflicted upon the wicked, and they too must live as 
 long as God is God. But life without rewards, is 
 existence in torment, and this will be their portion, 
 without the possibility of revocation. God is just, 
 He rewards the intention equally as the deed. 
 Were the wicked prolonged on the earth, they would 
 continue to offend their God. Death does indeed 
 terminate their crimes, but not their sinful desires. 
 These accompany, their souls even to the judgment 
 seat of God. It is meet then, that they too receive 
 their due desert at the hands of eternal justice." 
 
 " Great God ! " exclaimed Nobunango, " how 
 dreadful is thy justice ! Wilt thou also visit with 
 thy eternal chastisement the spirit of our departed 
 forefathers, who have not, in ages past, obeyed thy 
 law, because they knew it not? Why hast thou 
 
ETERNAL REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 139 
 
 withheld from us for so many ages, knowledge of 
 the terrors of thy judgments ? ' 0, deceased princes ! 
 0, illustrious heroes of Japan, where now sojourn 
 your immortal spirits ? What is your position 
 among the innumerable dead ? Repose you in 
 sorrow or in peace ?" 
 
 " God is just," observed Jaco, " he will do wrong 
 to none. Let us not interfere with his judgments. 
 The light of reason shone before the vision of our 
 ancestors no less than before ours. And the chari- 
 table voice of nature informed their hearts con- 
 cerning the right and the wrong. Have they 
 followed that light, and hearkened unto that voice ? 
 Then are their spirits in peace. For the Omniscient 
 Ruler of all is incapable of aught but honor, justice, 
 and truth." 
 
 Justo Ucundono was deeply affected by his father's 
 remarks, since more than once they had occurred to 
 himself during the discussion which had just termi- 
 nated. The persuasive and conclusive remarks of 
 Ximenes, together with his impressive and eloquent 
 manner in enforcing them, had diffused throughout 
 the council a solemn mood of reverential feeling. 
 His address having concluded, they adjourned until 
 the following day. 
 
140 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 REVELATION. 
 
 The World a temple erected to the honor of the Deity. Man is 
 its high priest. Serving his maker by his faculties. This is 
 his natural worship, which he may offer unto him until a pos- 
 itive method shall have been prescribed. Example from the 
 case of the Japanese Emperor. God has revealed his will. 
 Revelation not only practicable, but highly consonant with the 
 character of the Supreme Being. He may reveal mysteries 
 unto us. These we are bound to believe. Mysteries not incon- 
 sistent with reason. Revelation necessary in the present state 
 of the world. Human reason insufficient to guide man into 
 the path of duty. Proved by the crimes extant among the 
 Gentile world, and even countenanced by their philosophers. 
 If revelation be necessary to the fulfilment of our destiny, then 
 has it been made. 
 
 The council having entered upon its fourth ses- 
 sion, Justo Ucundono arose to thank the Philosopher 
 Ximenes for the lucid manner in which, on the pre- 
 vious day, he had explained to the Council the 
 object of this visible creation, and the special part 
 therein assigned to man. " We are impelled," said 
 he, " to admire the wonderful economy of God, who 
 has erected the magnificent temple of the universe 
 for his own glory, and who has placed therein man 
 to minister unto him as the great high priest of the 
 rest of creation. Man alone is empowered to enter 
 the awful sanctuary, and to stand erect in the pre- 
 
KEVELATION. 141 
 
 sence of the Deity, communing with him face to 
 face. His reason informs him of that clean obla- 
 tion, which is acceptable to God, according to the 
 ordinances of the law of nature. It induces him, 
 moreover, to reject those abominable sacrifices, 
 which are repugnant to the wishes of a great being. 
 In this consecrated temple, may I worship him daily 
 with all the powers of my mind, with all the affec- 
 tions of my soul. Memory offers its homage by 
 recounting the many wonders which he has wrought 
 for the benefit of man ; — the understanding, by its 
 admiration and laudation of his power, wisdom, and 
 benevolence ; — the will, by the performance of vir- 
 tuous deeds, and the avoidance of evil ; — the heart, 
 by sincerely loving and adoring him for his libe- 
 rality and beneficence in bestowing upon me life, 
 liberty, with all their attendant blessings. Ungrate- 
 ful indeed must be that man, insensible of any feel- 
 ing of honor or gratitude, who can enter this temple 
 without prostrating himself, in humble and spon- 
 taneous adoration before that great Deity, who is 
 its proprietor." 
 
 "You have formed, Prince," exclaimed Xime- 
 nes, "a true conception of the character of the 
 law of nature, and of the homage due to God, on 
 the part of man, according to its ordinances. No 
 principles can be more simple and truthful than the 
 
142 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 grounds of natural religion. God is the beneficent 
 Creator, the all-wise ruler, the powerful protector, 
 the generous benefactor. Man is the befriended 
 being, the recipient of abundance, the free intelli- 
 gent creature, the one in every way provided for by 
 his heavenly parent. What more just and equit- 
 able principles can there be than those emanating 
 from such sources ? They must breathe the spirit 
 of love, obedience, gratitude, and reverence, to- 
 wards so exalted and matchless a being. Hence 
 arise the elements and the essence of natural reli- 
 gion, which is binding on all men.'* 
 
 " The Almighty does not stand in need of our 
 homage, and it being unworthy of him, he naturally 
 cannot exact it," observed Triphon. 
 
 " In virtue of the relation existing between 
 them, the Almighty must require of his creatures 
 all, that order, propriety and justice would neces- 
 sarily prompt," replied Ximenes. " These senti- 
 ments," he continued, " necessarily demand grati- 
 tude on the part of man for benefits conferred upon 
 him. It is this high tone'd acknowledgment of our 
 dependence which constitutes worship. Nor is this 
 tribute unworthy the great Creator. It is employ- 
 ing in his service, his own gifts. If it became him 
 to confer them upon us, why should it not be wor- 
 thy of him to be served by them ? He indeed needs 
 
REVELATION. 143 
 
 not our service, but we need a recompence from 
 him, which is only to be obtained by means thereof." 
 
 " Love, honor, gratitude and obedience then," 
 resumed Triphon, " constitute human worship, as 
 you will have it. Well, be it so ! But can I love, 
 honor and obey God only by means of some parti- 
 cular mode of worship, or by the teaching of some 
 special system of religion. Why need I break my 
 head in endeavoring to discover some visionary 
 creed instead of freely offering that homage which 
 my untutored soul urges me to give, which my will 
 desires, and which my judgment sanctions ? And, 
 candidly, for what imperative object, is this for- 
 mality and solemnity of a council employed, in the 
 endeavor to discover some imaginary mode of cor- 
 rect worship ?" 
 
 " In the manner of which you speak are all men 
 free to worship God," replied Ximenes, " until they 
 shall have learned the positive commands of the 
 Deity regarding this subject. Until the Almighty 
 declare in distinct terms the manner in which he 
 desires the homage of his creatures, they certainly 
 are free to worship him according to the impulses 
 of their hearts, and the dictates of their judgment. 
 But when he shall have done so, they are certainly 
 bound to act as he shall determine. At the moment 
 when the first article of his authentic revelation 
 
144 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 becomes known, their freedom to worship according 
 to the promptings of reason, is abrogated. And 
 this doctrine is in perfect accordance with those 
 notions of propriety and justice obtaining amongst 
 men. You yourself are not ignorant of the fact, 
 that the ancient Dairi of Japan, were by different 
 cities, differently honored ; each offering to the 
 Emperor its particular tribute, and rendering unto 
 him its special homage, according as the spirit or 
 the custom of its inhabitants demanded. These 
 different species of acknowledgment were equally 
 acceptable to the Prince, since they were offered in 
 perfect good faith, and as no uniform mode of vas- 
 salage had been described. But after the chief of 
 the present dynasty had determined upon this point, 
 and decided that homage should be represented by 
 prostration, and ordered the tribute to be paid in 
 silver and gold, no Japonian has attempted to do 
 honor to his sovereign, or render him contribution 
 in any other manner. Shall we concede a less right 
 to the sovereign of the universe to determine the 
 mode of service due him, than we acknowledge in 
 the ruler of Japan ? And shall his subjects be less 
 bound to respect his ordinances, than they are to 
 abide by the decrees of their temporal monarch ?" 
 " Certainly not," exclaimed the Jaco, " the illus- 
 tration is perfect, and to the purpose. Nothing 
 
REVELATION. 145 
 
 appears more reasonable and just, than that we 
 should honor the supreme being in the manner which 
 he has prescribed, and in none other, however 
 plausible to our fancy or concordant with our incli- 
 nations. This he justly can demand by virtue of 
 the position which he holds with regard to us, his 
 creatures, whom he has gifted with intelligence and 
 free will. But how may I ascertain his will and 
 pleasure on that point ? In what particular mode 
 does he desire that man should honor him? The 
 pleasure of the Emperor may be easily learned ; not 
 so the will of God." 
 
 "The manifestation of the Divine will to men, 
 which we term revelation," said Philo, the Jew, " is 
 no theory but a fact, which, like others, may be 
 ascertained from history. If the Almighty has 
 spoken by himself, or through the medium of others, 
 he has spoken to men ; and these men can testify to 
 the veracity of the assertion, and to the authenticity 
 of the dogma." 
 
 " It is altogether absurd," interrupted Triphon, 
 
 " to suppose, for a moment, that the Supreme Being 
 
 would so demean himself as to descend from his 
 
 high estate to hold converse with insignificant 
 
 mortals, — to prescribe their mode of sitting, standing, 
 
 eating and drinking, — as well as their method of 
 
 thought, discourse or action. Really, your advocates 
 13 
 
146 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 of revelation would fain make an insignificant censor 
 of the powerful being of heaven? And, moreover, 
 how is this revelation to he made ? In what lan- 
 guage is he to express himself?" 
 
 " I can discover no absurdity," replied Philo, "in 
 the Father of the Universe communicating instruc- 
 tion and consolation to his favorite creatures, whom 
 he has formed after his own image ; more especially 
 when I see a haughty philosopher, who owns no 
 master in creation, amusing himself daily by teach- 
 ing a small lap-dog how to dance and wag his tail. 
 This pleasing condescension of the great Creator in 
 familiarly conversing with his creatures on subjects 
 concerning his honor, and their dearest interest, 
 raises him in my estimation a thousand-fold. Such 
 conduct at once gratifies my heart, obtains my 
 confidence, and commands my thorough homage. 
 But how will he communicate with man, you say? 
 This need concern us not. For He who gave sight 
 to the eye, hearing to the ear, and intelligence to 
 the mind ; He who taught man to clothe his ideas 
 in intelligible signs, will readily find a way in which 
 to make himself understood by his creatures. Even 
 we, should we be consulted, might suggest some 
 means by which He might transmit to us his 
 pleasure and commands. It is not requisite that 
 He should speak to each of us after" a human 
 
REVELATION. 147 
 
 fashion. He may utter his commands in a voice of 
 thunder, as he addressed our fathers from the 
 flaming mount of Sinai; or signify his will to one 
 or more chosen spirits, as he inspired the souls of 
 the prophets. And these may communicate the 
 heavenly message to their fellow men around. 
 There can be no impediment to hinder God from 
 thus revealing his will to individuals ; nor can there 
 be aught to prevent those selected, from receiving 
 and communicating such instructions, since they 
 can hear, comprehend, and make known to others. 
 There can be no obstacle to the credence of these 
 chosen ones in the messengers whom the Almighty 
 may employ, since all have the power and the right 
 to examine and test their credentials. Should they 
 prove themselves to be, as they assert themselves, 
 ambassadors of God, we have reason to hearken 
 unto them as such. And the revelation which they 
 describe is no less authentic and divine than if it 
 were received from the mouth of the Almighty 
 himself. Does not the Emperor of Japan make 
 known his wishes to the governors of distant pro- 
 vinces by means of ambassadors ? And has any 
 one of these governors, finding the ambassadors' 
 credentials to be correct, ever refused to consider 
 the messages which they bore as significant of the 
 imperial will ? Now, no earthly ambassador is able 
 
148 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 to afford stronger proofs of the reality of his mis- 
 sion than are the messengers of the divine being. 
 What difficulty, then, can any reasonable man 
 experience in believing their instructions with im- 
 plicit faith, and in receiving them as authentic 
 expounders of the divine will?" 
 
 " The sticklers for revelation," said Triphon, 
 " tell us incredible things, which they dignify by the 
 name of mysteries ; things which our unprejudiced 
 reason cannot understand. How can my assent be 
 required to doctrines which far transcend my powers 
 of comprehension. For what purpose has judgment 
 been bestowed upon me if I am, blindly, to coincide, 
 without exercising it, in matters of which I am 
 incredulous." 
 
 " Reason was not given you," returned Philo, " to 
 understand or to unravel the nature of mysteries, 
 but rather to ascertain whether such as we denomi- 
 nate mysteries have really ever emanated from the 
 Divinity. Further than this, reason cannot be 
 made to operate, except as far as it may tend in 
 assuring the will of the propriety of accepting that 
 which bears upon it the stamp of infallibility. 
 Mysteries are not opposed to reason, though they 
 may transcend it. And where have you learned 
 that God cannot reveal things which we cannot 
 comprehend? Shall we attempt to circumscribe 
 
REVELATION. 149 
 
 his ineffable nature by the limits of our inconsiderable 
 intellect ? Is there nought in that Divinity which is 
 beyond our appreciation ? If not, we are his equals 
 — an absurdity. If there be, he can reveal it to 
 us, andjwe are in duty bound to believe his assertions, 
 though we cannot understand the mysteries of his 
 nature. The supreme being is necessarily infallible. 
 He can neither deceive nor be deceived. Whatever 
 he reveals to us is truth, and as such we are bound 
 to hear and to remember it." 
 
 "You have told us," said Triphon, " that reason 
 has been implanted within man, to guide him in his 
 path through this nether world, and safely to 
 conduct him to his appointed end. Now, either 
 this guide is sufficient to lead man to the termination 
 of his journey, or it is not. If adequate, why do 
 you clamor for light from above, in the shape of 
 revelation ; if insufficient, how do you maintain the 
 wisdom of the Creator, in thus having neglected to 
 provide his creatures with the necessary means to 
 perform the work, which he has assigned to them." 
 
 " If man had preserved his native reason unim- 
 paired," answered Philo, "as he received it from 
 the hands of his maker, it would alone have enabled 
 him to fulfil his obligations upon earth, and merit 
 and obtain his eternal reward. In his primitive 
 
 state of innocence, it was all-sufficient to guide his 
 13* 
 
150 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 steps happily to the paradise of God. But man, 
 unheedfully, by his own deliberative act, impaired 
 his reason to such an extent, that it became no 
 longer fit to serve as an exclusive monitor in a world 
 of sin and passion. In his new but fallen state 
 of being, it is unable to instruct him in the exercise 
 of all his duties. It cannot explain to him clearly 
 and distinctly all the tenets of the law of nature. 
 It might, indeed, point out the law, but it must 
 necessarily fail in discovering a practical application 
 of it in reference to particular cases. What course, 
 for instance, should man adopt, in order to obtain 
 reconciliation with his God, whose wrath he has 
 provoked? Reason can by no exercise of its powers, 
 impart to him information on a subject of such 
 vital importance. A God of infinite majesty has 
 been offended, and that God, a father and kind 
 benefactor. And by whom ? By a feeble, helpless 
 and ungrateful creature. What should that creature 
 do to appease offended majesty, and to be again 
 received into favor? On a question like this, 
 reason is altogether silent. 
 
 " That human reason, such as it now is, is 
 altogether insufficient to act in guiding man through- 
 out his temporal career, and to impress him with a 
 conviction of his duties to God, himself, and his 
 fellow man, is proved with the accuracy of a demon- 
 
REVELATION. 151 
 
 stration, by recurrence to the history of the crimes, 
 the errors, the passions which have characterized 
 men during all past ages. It is matter of authentic 
 record, that philosophers and sages — the wisest 
 and most learned of men — the censors and instructors 
 of the people— have, in innumerable cases, shame- 
 fully departed from the counsel and practice of the 
 simplest and most evident maxims of the law of 
 nature. It is well known that Socrates, Plato, 
 Aristotle, and other luminaries of the gentile world 
 maintained and defended, as proper and expedient, 
 the commission of many of the grossest deeds in 
 the entire catalogue of crime. Bigamy, adultery, 
 fornication, and infanticide, were openly supported 
 and countenanced by these and other luminaries 
 of the heroic ages. 
 
 " Now, if such were the errors and crimes common 
 amongst the wisest of men, and those the most surely 
 guided by reason, what must have been the con- 
 dition of the cotemporaneous illiterate and ignorant 
 masses. How were they to ascertain their duties 
 and obligations, in the absence of revelation ? Man, 
 as he now exists, could never have acquired, amid 
 the wrecks of human reason, a sufficient knowledge 
 of the law of nature. By it, h« never could have 
 discovered the threefold duties of man; the end of 
 our creation ; the consequences of our good and 
 
152 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 evil deeds; the existence of another world; the 
 eternal duration of the human soul; and other 
 fundamental dogmas of the human destiny. Revela- 
 tion was, then, absolutely indispensable to enable 
 man to obtain the necessary intelligence in regard 
 to his final as well as temporary destiny, in the 
 present condition of his race. And whatever is 
 necessary to prepare us for our destiny, the Deity 
 is, by virtue of his character and attributes, bound 
 to afford us. As certain therefore as there is a God 
 ruling earth and heaven, so true is it, that a revela- 
 tion has been given us; — and, believing this, we 
 have nought to do but to ascertain the terms and 
 the spirit of this revelation ; and, having satisfied 
 ourselves of their divine origin, faithfully and stead- 
 fastly to comply with their requirements." 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 153 
 
 : CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE TEST OE REVELATION. 
 
 The wise of all antiquity have felt and acknowledged the ineffi- 
 ciency of human reason as a guide to our destined end. Ori- 
 ginal sin — the cause of the fall of the Angels, and of their 
 punishment. Creation of man, and his fall — whence all our 
 miseries proceed. If reason be insufficient to guide us, light 
 from above is necessary — if necessary, it has been given. How 
 shall we discover the true revelation. Revelation is a fact, 
 that has occurred — then must its character and veracity be 
 determined as those of other historical facts, and measured by 
 the standard of human testimony. Such testimony may always 
 be obtained. The Emperor's speech- — recapitulation of the 
 points established — conclusion of the fourth session of the 
 Council. 
 
 " The unnatural doctrines which have been advo- 
 cated, and the horrible excesses which have been 
 committed under the colors of reason," said the 
 Jaco, "prove to my full satisfaction, that powerful 
 and conservative as it is, it is not that ever discri- 
 minating and philanthropic monitor commissioned 
 from above to guard over and protect the human 
 interest; — or that if it were originally intended as 
 such, it has long since ceased to fulfil those purposes 
 for which it was destined. It must be evident to all 
 minds, that some great and deleterious revolution 
 has taken place in its original constitution ; by the 
 effect of which, it has in a great measure been 
 
154 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 deprived of its beneficent influence in the moral 
 world. Human nature has been convulsed and 
 shaken to its very centre. That man is no longer 
 the being which he was intended or ought to be, 
 has been felt and acknowledged by all observers of 
 human nature, in ancient, no less than in modern 
 times." 
 
 "In this view," said Josephus, "you are sup- 
 ported by the testimony of all the sages of antiquity. 
 Cicero, in his Hortensius, states, that the ancient 
 philosophers accounted for the weakness and corrup- 
 tion of human nature, by saying, that our souls 
 were atoning for crimes committed previous to their 
 union with the body. Pliny, the naturalist, whilst 
 philosophising on the phenomena of human nature, 
 as exhibited in all men, asked himself, l . Why is it a 
 crime to have been born V In other words, ' Why 
 am I, coming into being, so weak, so unequal to 
 perform the task assigned me among created beings?' 
 'I hate and I love,' says a Heathen Poet; 'and 
 should you ask me why, I must answer that I cannot 
 tell, but that I feel it to be a fact, and that I must 
 suffer in consequence thereof.' Another of these 
 poets wondered at his repugnance to what is right 
 and just, and at his yearning after that which is 
 wrong and forbidden, and declared that this strange 
 disposition in man was to be traced to some disease 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 155 
 
 in his soul ; to some violent impulses contrary to 
 reason, and altogether inconsistent with his happi- 
 ness. Of all the ancients, Plato is the most pointed 
 and explicit on this head. ' Formerly,' says he, 
 'the portion of our being which partakes of the 
 Divine essence, preserved for some time all its native 
 dignity and vigor. At length, however, man's 
 vicious propensities prevailed, to the great detriment 
 of the human kind. It is thence, that proceed all 
 those calamities which afflict us now.' In another 
 place, he asserts that the leader of the race has 
 impaired the nature and the faculties of man in his 
 very birth. This great philosopher seems to have 
 had some insight into the future economy of the 
 Almighty respecting the fallen race of man. ' For,' 
 says he, ' had not God stepped in between guilt and 
 ruin, the. world would long since have fallen into 
 dark and chaotic confusion.' ' Our natural defects,' 
 says Timseus the Locrkn, 'we inherit from our 
 parents. Hence we cannot divest ourselves of those 
 evil propensities which engulf us in the consequences 
 of the sin of our primitive progenitors.' When the 
 ancients spoke of the Golden, the Silver, and the 
 Iron ages, what could they have designated by the 
 former, if not the state of innocence in Paradise ? 
 The Golden age included from the creation to the 
 fall of man, — the silver, from the fall to the deluge, 
 
156 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 and the Iron, from the deluge to the coming of the 
 Redeemer. 
 
 " This belief of the three stages, of Innocence, of 
 Sin, and of Redemption, has been the doctrine of all 
 antiquity. The Egyptians, Persians, Chinese, In- 
 dians, Greeks, and Romans all professed it. Even 
 the Mahometans admit the dogma of original sin. 
 The same is the belief of the Jewish people, — and is 
 beautifully expressed in the language of the Royal 
 prophet, ( For behold, in iniquity I was born, and in 
 sins did my mother conceive me.' 
 
 "Jew and Gentile, therefore, Greek and Barba- 
 rian, do singularly agree on these great points, that 
 man is no longer what he was intended to be, and 
 such as he came from the hands of God ; — that some 
 great calamity had perverted his original and primi- 
 tive nature ; — that the great light of reason had been 
 dimmed until its feeble rays no longer offered to 
 man the beacon by which he might steer through 
 the stormy ocean of life to the haven of eternal 
 security ; — and that some divine dispensation seemed 
 needed to assist him in the attainment of his 
 appointed end, — to enable him properly to fulfil 
 the part assigned him by his great Creator." 
 
 "But what," observed the Jaco, "is the nature of 
 the calamity, which has befallen human nature, and 
 impaired reason, — and how was it brought about ?" 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 157 
 
 "It is the loss," answered Philo, "of original 
 justice, and its attendant blessings, by an act of 
 disobedience. It is the fall from a state of innocence 
 into the condition of guilt. This dire event was 
 brought about, according to the traditions of our 
 forefathers, in the following manner. Before the 
 sun and the moon had begun their course in the 
 heavens, before the sound of the human voice had 
 been heard, or the name of man known, the Father 
 of man existed, alone, glorious, omnipotent, supreme. 
 He needed not the presence of other beings. Their 
 service or homage could neither increase his happi- 
 ness, nor augment his glory. But his own bountiful 
 nature prompted him to communicate to others a 
 portion of the bliss which he himself enjoyed. But 
 no beings as yet existed. He then resolved to call 
 into life a number of angelic spirits, bright as the 
 sun, and fair as the morning star. He created 
 them to cluster around his throne, and to rule with 
 him in the highest heavens. But these newly formed 
 beings, proud of their high endowments, elated at 
 their well-nigh omnipotent powers, forgetful of their 
 dependence upon the Almighty, and fired with extra- 
 vagant ambition, aimed at the attainment of equality 
 with the Creator, and revolted against their Sove- 
 reign Lord. Whereupon his offended justice cast 
 
 them down, from the high pinnacle of the heavenly 
 
 14 
 
158 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 throne, into the yawning depths of an everlasting 
 hell. 
 
 "When the heavens had been cleared of the rebel 
 spirits, and the wrath of the Almighty appeased, he 
 thought of replacing the void which their treason 
 had caused in the celestial kingdom, by the creation 
 of another kind of beings, — and this after-created 
 subject, was man. He formed his body of the dust 
 of the earth, and breathed into it an immortal soul. 
 He modelled man after his own perfect image, — 
 endowed him with a nature but little inferior to that 
 of his angels, and conferred upon him the glorious 
 gifts of will, memory and understanding. Immor- 
 tality was his birthright. He placed him in a 
 delightful garden, planted by and sown with his own 
 hands. He constituted him lord and sole proprietor 
 of this, his paradise. He was honored, served, and 
 obeyed by the birds of the air, the beasts of the 
 field, and the fishes of the stream; who daily waited 
 on him for his orders, and cheerfully executed his 
 commands. He was permitted the free use and 
 enjoyment of all the luxuries of paradise; but, to 
 test his fidelity and gratitude to his kind benefactor, 
 he was interdicted the use of the fruit of one only 
 tree. ■ Of all the fruits of the garden thou shalt 
 eat, but the tree of knowledge thou shalt not touch ; 
 for in whatever day thou shalt eat of this tree, thou 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 159 
 
 shalt die the death.' A compliance with this com- 
 mand would have exempted him from punishment, 
 and, after a short and happy sojourn in Paradise, 
 would have served to raise him to one of the thrones, 
 made vacant by the fall of the angels. 
 
 " But. like the latter, unfortunate man soon 
 proved ungrateful to his maker. Deceived by one 
 of those rebel spirits, who envied his happiness, he 
 took the forbidden tree, and regardless of the solemn 
 injunction which had been made, ate of its fruit. 
 Under the very plant, however, where his disobe- 
 dience had occurred, the Almighty met him, and 
 forthwith pronounced his doom. The robe of im- 
 mortality was torn from his shattered frame, — grief 
 and sorrow oppressed his heart, — pain and debility 
 seized upon his feeble limbs. He is condemned to 
 die. The Cherubim stands by with the flaming 
 sword, wherewith to execute the sentence, but com- 
 passion moved the Supreme Ruler. He remembered 
 the dust from which he had created him, he thought 
 of the image, which in his soul and countenance, he 
 bore to himself. He stayed the uplifted arm of the 
 angel of justice, and granted to man, that which he 
 had refused to the aspiring angels, — time for repen- 
 tance. And thus man, humbled, fallen, and de- 
 graded, is ordered to depart from the garden of 
 Eden. His reason obscured, the powers of his mind 
 
160 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 impaired, his will depraved, his whole being per- 
 verted, he leaves that happy abode which he had 
 disgraced, to expiate his crime on the unfriendly 
 soil of a desert earth. Here with his consort 
 Eve, whom, in happier days, his maker had formed 
 from his body, Adam lived on, the prey of appe- 
 tite and passion, obliged to suffer and toil for his 
 subsistence, for the space of nine hundred years, 
 when they returned to the dust from which they 
 had been taken, leaving their guilt and its conse- 
 quences as an inheritance to all their posterity. 
 
 " To this unhappy phase in the career of man 
 must be traced all those disorders of the mind, and 
 all those diseases of the body which have since 
 afflicted the human race. It was then that reason 
 became deprived of its supremacy, the will of its 
 command, and the heart of its integrity. And this 
 mental and physical adulteration was entailed upon 
 all the descendants of Adam and Eve, and thus do 
 we all suffer for the sin of our first parents. It is in 
 consequence of the occurrence of this awful calamity 
 that man is no longer able to attain the sublime 
 end for which his God intended him, without Divine 
 assistance through the medium of revelation." 
 
 "The history you have related of the origin of 
 evil," observed Triphon, "is indeed ingenious, but 
 argues powerfully against the justice of your God. 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 161 
 
 It evidently confounds the innocent with the guilty. 
 Why should I suffer for the crimes of an ancestor 
 whom I have never known, never seen, and in whose 
 guilt I could not have the remotest participation. 
 On what grounds can my involvement in the punish- 
 ment be justified ? What tyrant have we ever heard 
 of, who has visited the guilt of parents upon their 
 descendants, for all time to come ?" 
 
 " To inflict an actual punishment upon children 
 for the crimes committed by the father would cer- 
 tainly not be just," answered Philo, "but to permit 
 the consequences of the father's actual punishment 
 to affect the happiness of his offspring, is not only 
 no injustice, but cannot possibly be avoided. If my 
 father be executed for misdemeanors committed by 
 him, of what kind it matters not, his disgraceful 
 punishment must necessarily affect me in my honor, 
 and perhaps in my fortune. This perfectly accords 
 with our notions of even human justice, the usage 
 conformable to which cannot easily be abolished. 
 It arises from the very nature of things. The 
 annals of the Empire contain an instance of retri- 
 butive justice, which will aid us in appreciating the 
 true condition of the fallen nature of man, and of 
 the justice of the Almighty in so constituting it. 
 They inform us that when in the reign of the Dairi, 
 
 the Cubos revolted against bis authority, he caused 
 14* 
 
102 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 them to be arrested and executed. To fill up the 
 place which had been vacated through their treason, 
 he raised Teuco-Zama, a poor plebeian, to the high 
 rank of Cubo. And to ensure himself of his fidelity, 
 he elevated him on this condition — "if you prove 
 faithful to my interest, your rank and dignity will 
 descend to your posterity. The family of the Teuco- 
 Zama will be the first in the Empire. But should it 
 be the reverse, you and your house will be degraded 
 to the condition of servitude, from which I have 
 raised you." You know the history of this ill-fated 
 family. The father revolted against his benevolent 
 sovereign, and with his life atoned for his crime. 
 His family to a man were degraded, and until this 
 very day his descendants have been seen walking 
 in your midst, the living exponents of the Dairi's 
 severe but just judgment upon his faithless minister. 
 And there is no Japonian whose opinion disapproves 
 of it. 
 
 "Now this narrative is precisely applicable to the 
 fall and punishment of man. The Almighty created 
 the angels for his service; they proved renegades, 
 and he punished them. He then created man to 
 supply their places, and to * enjoy their forfeited 
 honors. Naturally man belonged to earth, but God 
 elevated him to a supernatural state, establishing 
 him in Paradise. Had he proved faithful in his 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 163 
 
 allegiance, Paradise, with all its blessings, would 
 have been the perpetual inheritance of his descend- 
 ants, and heaven their final home. But man, like 
 the Teuco-Zama, became a rebel to his God, who 
 forthwith deprived him of the dignity which he had 
 held in the creation, expelled him from the garden 
 of Eden, and reduced him to that state of slavery to 
 which he naturally belonged ; and unto this day we 
 are atoning for the guilt of our first parents. And 
 however much we dislike the penalty, we all feel 
 the justice of the sentence, and regret the cause 
 by which it was occasioned. 
 
 " It is in consequence of their loss of Paradise, 
 and thus of original justice, that natural reason, as 
 we now possess it, is no longer sufficient to point out 
 to us satisfactorily our duties to God, and our obli- 
 gations to our fellow men. Hence, light from above 
 is necessary for guidance, and consequently, from 
 above must have emanated." 
 
 9 But which of the many lights which shine from 
 above, upon this dreary earth," said Triphon, "are 
 we to follow? The Jews, Christians, Mahometans, 
 besides some fifty more sects, each hang up their own 
 lamp of revelation, all of them shedding different 
 lights, their hues varying multifariously as they 
 glance upon the important question of human duties 
 and obligations." 
 
164 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 11 Revelation," answered Philo, "belongs as I have 
 before stated, to the province of history. If the 
 King of Heaven has indeed sent ambassadors to 
 signify to man in his name, his wishes ; and if they 
 have fulfilled their mission, it has become a matter 
 of fact, and may be verified in the same manner in 
 which we demonstrate all historical events. It is 
 certainly true that every pretended statement does 
 not contain the genuine facts. But shall we thence 
 conclude that there is no truth at all in history ? 
 You certainly will not answer in the affirmative ; for, 
 by the art of criticism we are enabled to discern true 
 from fabulous assertions. Not only are we qualified 
 to ascertain, with infallible certainty the fact of their 
 mission, — but the precise terms, the very contents of 
 the message, which they were authorized to deliver. 
 With respect to the missionary or recipient of the 
 revelation, we have simply to satisfy ourselves that 
 he is really what he claims to be, God's true ambas- 
 sador. Having satisfied ourselves on this head, we 
 have merely to listen and obey. Nor is it difficult to 
 arrive at this proof, for the characteristics of the 
 ministers of God are of that splendid and conspicuous 
 kind, which the blind can read, and the deaf be made 
 to comprehend. The contents of the message, we 
 are to gather, as we would authentic information of 
 any other fact of past or present times — from com- 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 165 
 
 petent and truthful witnesses, who, on any great 
 occasion, are never wanting, more especially on such 
 a question as the authenticity of Divine revelation. 
 
 "The process in both cases is of an easy and 
 simple kind. An individual presents himself before 
 me, stating that he comes on the part of God to com- 
 municate to me important facts, involving conse- 
 quences of the highest interest to myself and to my 
 fellow men. I ask him for proof that he is really a 
 messenger from heaven. He affords the required 
 evidence, by performing, before me and others, deeds, 
 which my reason convinces me, can be enacted by 
 none other than the Divine Ruler, or one acting by 
 his assistance and under his special guidance. Now 
 the Author of our nature could not aid an impostor 
 and trickster, hence, I fully admit and believe that 
 he who thus claims my attention, is acting under the 
 direction and by the command of God, and conse- 
 quently that all that he asserts must be true and 
 authoritative. 
 
 "Again, the contents of the message thus deli- 
 vered in past or present times, are obtained with the 
 same ease and certainty, likewise, by means of 
 capable and faithful witnesses. That witness is com- 
 petent who has had every facility to observe, and 
 acquire a full knowledge of the fact to which he 
 testifies. And that witness is trustworthy who can 
 
166 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 have no motives in relating a falsehood, and no 
 interest in deceiving the inquirer. Now, as I before 
 said, witnesses like this, are never found wanting on 
 any great or public question, such as this under 
 consideration ; hence we may ascertain with positive 
 certainty both the real character of the ambassador, 
 and that of the substance of his embassy." 
 
 "Nothing, assuredly," exclaimed Prince Fugurun- 
 dono, "can be more simple, more natural, and withal 
 more secure, than the method by which you propose 
 to arrive at the true revelation of God's will. If he 
 really has spoken unto man, it is impossible that 
 it should not be discovered by a process of inves- 
 tigation so searching and direct; and it is equally 
 impossible for pretended revelation to withstand its 
 scrutinizing look, or to resist its piercing touch. 
 While falsehood disappears before such a system, 
 truth will shine out with yet greater brilliancy." 
 
 "What say you advocates of revelation," asked 
 the Jaco, " are you willing that your systems shall 
 be tested by the rules which Philo has stated, and 
 are you prepared to abide by the result of the 
 investigation?" 
 
 " The method of Philo," answered one after the 
 other, "is just and reasonable, and altogether in 
 conformity with the doctrine of common sense. It' 
 is moreover simple and evident, easily to be under- 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 167 
 
 stood and appreciated by all. We cannot then 
 object to it, but adopt it as a full criterion of our 
 respective tenets." 
 
 The Emperor now arose and expressed himself 
 highly satisfied with the proceedings of the council. 
 "Light," said he, "begins to shine in the midst of 
 darkness; chaos and confusion are subsiding into 
 method and repose. I see the many floating elements 
 of this moral creation gradually assuming shape and 
 form. They begin to present a visible and tangible 
 aspect. The great question is now so reduced and 
 simplified, that it may be easily grasped by even the 
 ordinary mind, and definitely pursued by common 
 penetration. I thank you, fathers of religion, for 
 your unceasing efforts to give light to our eyes, and 
 truth to our minds. Your labors must be as accept- 
 able to God as they are beneficial to man. You are 
 engaged in the noblest and most important work 
 which can fall to the lot of mortal on earth. What 
 can be a more inspiring task than the settlement of 
 this great and perplexing controversy — as to what 
 is right and what is wrong, — and in regard to the 
 relations between heaven and earth, and the obliga- 
 tions of the inhabitants of the latter to the Omnipo- 
 tent Creator of both. You are the advocates of his 
 rights, and guard the dearest interests of his children. 
 The united voice of both the sovereign and the sub- 
 
168 JUSTO TTCUNDONO. 
 
 ject "will honor your memory after death, as it will 
 applaud you while living. Your sun which rises 
 higher than the hills of Frenoxama, will shine forever 
 in the religious heaven, and illuminate every dark 
 spot of the moral world. The Greek and the Persian 
 will unite in adoring it. The soul of China and 
 Japan will tender likewise its full homage, whilst the 
 docile Indian shall court and be illuminated by its 
 brilliant rays. 
 
 " In virtue of this brilliant effulgence, we have 
 already learned the existence of a Supreme Being, 
 Creator and Ruler of the Universe, the Father of 
 men, the Recorder of good and the Avenger of evil 
 deeds. We have ascertained, moreover, the eternal 
 duration of the human soul, and the existence of 
 another world, the native home of spirits, when loosed 
 from the bonds of earth. We believe that never-end- 
 ing happiness awaits the good, and perpetual burning 
 the wicked souls departing this life. We believe that 
 God has constructed a road, in which he desires all 
 men to walk in order to reach the mansion of eternal 
 bliss. We are also satisfied that God originally im- 
 planted within the breast of man, a guide, all-sufficient 
 to direct his steps in the path of salvation, in the days 
 of his primitive innocence. But that man, having 
 disregarded the admonitions of this guide, and pre- 
 sumptuously ventured on life's stormy ocean with no 
 
THE TEST OF REVELATION. 169 
 
 pilot, save his passions, it is now too late for reason 
 unassisted to gain back for him his forfeited inherit- 
 ance, and enable him to reach the ardently-desired 
 haven of eternal bliss. Hence, we all feel and 
 confess the necessity of a new and more ^potent 
 guide. Now, that this mental luminary has already 
 appeared in the moral heavens, Philo has proved 
 to our entire satisfaction. But it is to be regretted 
 that the splendor of its brilliancy is clouded by the 
 number of false and deceitful meteors, each of which 
 endeavoring to absorb its rays, is sometimes mis- 
 taken for the genuine celestial truth. But, you 
 lovers of truth and justice, having dispelled the 
 misty atmosphere which we have hitherto breathed, 
 will enable us at last to discern with ease the true 
 and genuine light of God's revelation." 
 
 The Council now adjourned for three days, that 
 full time might be allowed the members for reflection 
 on, and preparation for the momentous question of 
 the authenticity of the Divine revelation, which, at 
 the next session, was to be made the subject of 
 consideration. 
 
 15 
 
170 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 
 
 Opening of the fifth session— Full attendance of members, and 
 the great interest evinced by them all— Justo's appearance — 
 Fifty priests offer their systems of revealed religion— Unable to 
 stand the test proposed by Philo, the Jew — The Caliph explains 
 the doctrine of Mahomet — Unable to prove the authenticity of 
 the mission of the Prophet, or the truth of the Alcoran — 
 Mahometanism shown to be a corruption of Judaism, tinged 
 with maxims of Christianity, and varnished over with the 
 allurements of Idolatry — Its rapid progress and apparent suc- 
 cess, accounted for — The close connexion of Judaism and 
 Christianity — Paul's exposition of the history of true revela- 
 tion — It is three-fold; the natural, the written, and the 
 Christian — In substance they agree — The essential point in 
 which the latter two differ — the written law denotes a Saviour 
 to come — The law of grace presents him as having come — The 
 truth of the one is the falsity of the other. 
 
 On the appointed day, the Council assembled to 
 enter upon its fifth session, which promised to be 
 one of the most important and instructive, that had 
 hitherto been held. Every seat was occupied at an 
 early hour. A conclusive evidence of the all- 
 absorbing interest which each member felt in the 
 momentous question about to be debated, was the 
 fact that of the many who composed the assembly 
 proper, not one, on this day, was absent. Justo 
 Ucundono, accompanied by the young princes of 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 171 
 
 Japan, entered the hall a few minutes before the 
 opening of the Council. He seemed cheerful and 
 happy, hope and confidence beaming upon his coun- 
 tenance. That gloomy thoughtfulness, which during 
 the preceding session, was marked upon his brow, 
 had altogether disappeared. The candid avowal 
 made by the Emperor of his belief in the many 
 consoling truths which had been discovered, had 
 made a deep impression upon the heart of his son, 
 as these sentiments coincided uniformly with his 
 own convictions. 
 
 The Jaco took his seat, declaring the fifth session 
 of the Council of Frenoxama opened, and called 
 upon the advocates of the doctrine of Revelation, to 
 have their respective views thereupon arranged for 
 immediate discussion. Whereupon, no less than 
 fifty priests of the Chinese, the Japonian, and the 
 Indian Deities, simultaneously started to their feet, 
 to present their several systems to the assemblage, 
 as requested. The most of them gave long and 
 fabulous accounts of the sayings and doings of their 
 gods in olden times. Portions of these narratives 
 were so ridiculously foolish, that it was with difficulty 
 the Council preserved its gravity at their recital. 
 Even the most skilfully concocted of their stories, 
 were but tissues of improbable and pointless romance. 
 " To whom did Xaca and Amida reveal themselves/ ' 
 
172 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 asked Philo. " At what time, in what place ? 
 What were the precise ideas, which they imparted 
 to man ? What credentials did they produce, vindi- 
 cating the veracity of their professions, illustrating 
 their superior endowments?" None of these ques- 
 tions could be satisfactorily answered. Tradition 
 would have it that they spoke in some nameless 
 age to some nameless persons, in which by unintel- 
 ligible signs illustrated by an unknown tongue, they 
 communicated certain ominous mysteries. This 
 crude mass of revelation was wrought and fashioned 
 into some plausible form, by a number of artful 
 priests, conformably to their purposes. These gods 
 were the ready tools of these ministers, who sold 
 heaven to the highest bidders, and made the Deities 
 ratify the bargain ; changing their codes of morality 
 as often as convenient. "It is well known," con- 
 tinued Philo, " that some of your Bonzas take the 
 unwarrantable liberty of chastising some of their 
 heavenly sovereigns for misconduct. Certainly it 
 requires a vast deal of assurance, to ask a man to 
 place reliance on such ridiculous assertions. And 
 he that would listen to such vagaries, and believe 
 such dreamy themes, would in other lands be 
 deemed a fit patient for the mad-house." 
 
 These satirical and caustic remarks of the Jew, 
 greatly enraged the idolatrous priests. They 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 173 
 
 foamed and raged, threatening him with violence. 
 The Jaco at once called them to order, reminding 
 them that they were in the presence of the Emperor, 
 and not in the temples of their gods. But they 
 menaced even him with the vengeance of the 
 insulted gods. But he contemptuously smiled at 
 their impotent denunciations, advising them if they 
 wished to retain their seats in the Council, to take 
 of the Jew, a few lessons in good manners. 
 
 "The history of Xaca and Amida," said Hero- 
 dotus, "is a faithful delineation of the lives and 
 conduct of the gods of Egypt, of Persia, of Greece 
 and of Rome. Many were celestial robbers and 
 swindlers descending from above to initiate mankind 
 in the details of these honorable professions. And 
 old Jupiter, whom the Roman people once adored, 
 united in himself, accomplishments like these in an 
 eminent degree. For this very reason it was, that 
 they regarded him as the chief of the gods. In my 
 judgment, the good old elephant of India is prefer- 
 able to them all. If he did no good, he certainly 
 could do but little harm to our race." 
 
 The Council generally heartily enjoyed the casti- 
 
 gation which the sarcastic Israelite had inflicted 
 
 upon the haughty priesthood ; but Prince Ucundono, 
 
 pitying them, made a sign to Philo and Herodotus 
 
 to desist. The remainder of the professors of 
 15* 
 
174 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Idolatry, perceiving that their cause met with such 
 ill success, for the present, in silence kept their seats. 
 The Caliph of Bagdad now arose, presenting, and 
 urging, with an air of confidence, bordering on pre- 
 sumption, the revelations of the Prophet Mahomet. 
 " At a dark era in the progress of ages," said the 
 Caliph, " when the Children of Moses and the 
 followers of Christ had strayed from the paths of 
 truth and rectitude, the Almighty dispatched Gabriel 
 to Mahomet to prepare him for the reception of a 
 new revelation, which was destined to supersede the 
 worships founded upon the law of Moses, and the 
 Gospel of Jesus. Having prepared him for the high 
 mission, the heavenly messenger bade him ascend to 
 the middle heavens, and there handed him the great 
 Alcoran, by parts. The law of the Alcoran abro- 
 gates all other laws, itself acting in their stead. It 
 regulates all affairs between God and men, all 
 concerns between man and man. It prescribes 
 in the minutest terms, the public and the private, 
 the religious, the civil and the military duties of 
 each individual, — ruler and subject. Nothing can 
 be conceived that is more simple, more consistent, 
 or more secure, than is the law of the prophet, as 
 expounded in this Divine Manual. It is the last and 
 most complete revelation of God's will that has been 
 communicated to man." 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 175 
 
 " The system of the prophet," said Simonides, the 
 Greek, " was a grand and bold one, did it possess 
 no other merits. But from whom did your prophet 
 receive his commission to proclaim a new revelation, 
 doing away with all that had previously been pro- 
 mulgated ?" " He received it from Alia, the great 
 God, who has power, and jurisdiction, and rules over 
 all the tribes of the desert, and nations of the 
 earth." " What proofs of the validity of his claims 
 to the public confidence, on such an important 
 subject, did he bring forward ? Who has testified to 
 the authenticity of the character which he assumed ?" 
 " Is not the word of the prophet proof sufficient V 
 inquired the astonished Caliph. "What stronger 
 testimony can you require than the assertion of 
 the Ambassador of Alia?" "But what proves him 
 to be the Ambassador of Alia?" resumed Simonides. 
 " The Alcoran testifies to the fact," was the reply. 
 " And who testifies to the authenticity of the 
 Alcoran?" asked the Greek. "The prophet him- 
 self declared it to contain the revelations of Alia," 
 returned the Caliph, somewhat vexed. 
 
 "So Mahomet testified to the truth of the Alcoran, 
 and the Alcoran to the veracity of the mission of 
 the Prophet ; quite a convenient method of making 
 oneself a character," observed the Jaco. " But 
 have you in truth no other means of determining 
 
176 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 the authentic character of the Alcoran and its 
 expounder ? Why did not Alia speak to Mahomet 
 in a voice of thunder within hearing of the people, 
 as did Jehovah from the top of Sinai to Moses, in 
 presence of the assembled Israelites ? Or why did 
 he not confirm the assertions of the Apostle in a 
 voice from the clouds, -as Jesus was addressed in the 
 River Jordan ? Why did not Mahomet open from 
 the flinty rocks of the desert, limpid streams, as was 
 done by the prophet Moses ? Or why did he not, 
 like Jesus, command the dead to arise alive from 
 their graves ? Had such miracles been performed 
 by your prophet, then indeed might you appeal to 
 his word as confirmatory of your tenets, — and we 
 would receive it." 
 
 In the meantime the courage of the idolatrous 
 priests had begun to revive, on perceiving that they 
 were not the only ones placed in an uncomfortable 
 position. " The history of your prophet," said 
 Triphon, " is that of a bold adventurer, and shrewd 
 impostor, shaping his course according to the current 
 of temporary success, possessing enough of political 
 sagacity to turn ignorance, idolatry and fanaticism 
 into one common current, on which he might float to 
 the source of honor, wealth and power. The 
 Alcoran is evidently nothing more than an 
 exaggerated portraiture of Jewish, Christian and 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. • 177 
 
 •Idolatrous maxims, heterogeneously collected, and 
 compiled with a skilful hand, to apply to the wishes, 
 and to suit the requirements of the three principal 
 systems of worship then prevalent in Arabia, — when 
 blended into one. Whatever that is sound and 
 consistent in the Alcoran was written many cen- 
 turies ago in the law of Moses or in the Gospel of 
 Christ. The superstitious and nonsensical matter 
 contained therein, was practised by the roaming tribes 
 of the Arabian Desert. The fanatical and the lewd, 
 the ridiculous and the inconsistent elements of this 
 pattern of religious manuals, belong to the prophet, 
 and to those who aided him in digesting his deeply 
 laid plan, and in concocting his text book of moral 
 law. Not Gabriel, but some fallen angel, was evi- 
 dently the prompter of the prophet in this original 
 and herculean task." 
 
 "Is not the successful operation of the law pro- 
 mulgated by Mahomet," interrupted the Caliph, " a 
 sufficient proof of its celestial origin? If it were 
 really as you have represented it, is it natural to 
 suppose that Alia should have permitted it to take 
 such deep and lasting hold on the minds and hearts 
 of so many of his children ? And how otherwise will 
 you account for its rapid and miraculous progress ?" 
 
 "Mahomet," replied Triphon, "had little reason 
 to boast of his success, so long as he confined himsel 
 
178 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 to the weapons which prophets, and in fact teachers* 
 of any kind employ, such as the sword of the spirit. 
 Such tardy proselytism as these produced, was acqui- 
 sition too tedious for his ardent mind. Casting aside 
 such gentle instruments of persuasion, he grasped 
 the sword of the flesh, and quickly solved the Gor- 
 dian knot. With the eye of a statesman, he per- 
 ceived the rare advantages presented him for the 
 execution of his plan, in the quarrels and jealousies 
 of the Arabian Tribes, the divisions among the Chris- 
 tians, and the general dissensions of the times. By 
 employing these against each other, and moulding 
 them all to his own purpose, he was enabled to com- 
 mand that success which you attribute to Alla's 
 approval and co-operation. He became the common 
 centre of factions, the means by which private re- 
 venge might be gratified, as well as sordid aggrand- 
 izement surely obtained. He became the common 
 safety of all. One after the other of the tribes, then 
 of the nations, flocked to his standard. He pro- 
 claimed his doctrine to the masses, presenting to 
 them the terrible alternative of adopting them, or of 
 being massacred. Such an argument from the lips 
 of a mighty chief, could neither be answered nor 
 evaded by an ignorant and helpless populace. Then 
 the peculiar rewards promised the faithful, and the 
 punishments threatened the disobedient, were adapted 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 179 
 
 precisely to the character of the Arabs, and in every 
 way gratifying to their gross and luxuriant imagina- 
 tions. The doctrines of the Alcoran, plain and 
 simple as they were, were in every way calculated to 
 minister to the appetites of the people. Consider 
 moreover the ignorance universally characteristic of 
 the inhabitants of Arabia at that time, and you are 
 in full possession of the secret springs of the won- 
 derful success gained by Mahomet and his system. 
 And they are found to be, not emanating from mys- 
 terious sources, but demonstrable from the natural 
 state of peculiar circumstances, of which they were 
 the necessary consequence. 
 
 " Let us view a scene from Mahomet's method of 
 religious exhortation. There stands the Caliph of 
 the prophet, with a broad, glittering sabre ; opposite 
 stand some hundreds of trembling infidels. The 
 Apostle speaks : < Assert that God is God, and Ma- 
 homet his prophet, or bite the dust and die !" ' God 
 is God, and Mahomet is his prophet,' repeat the mul- 
 titude. A wonderful conversion ! Great indeed is 
 Alia!" The Caliph felt that Triphon spoke the 
 truth, and being a frank and honest man, he made 
 no reply. 
 
 All eyes were now turned to the Jewish and Chris- 
 tian Divines, who were expected to put forward and 
 vindicate their respective doctrines. The Christian 
 
180 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 name had already acquired the influence of a charm 
 in the Council, owing to the number of the professors 
 composing it, their high acquirements, and the rare 
 urbanity of their manner and demeanor. The Jews 
 too, priding themselves on the antiquity of their race, 
 claimed and received more than ordinary attention, 
 and exercised a considerable influence among their 
 associates. But what principally caused the other 
 Divines to regard the Jewish and Christian doctors 
 with more than ordinary interest, was the intimate 
 connexion existing between their respective creeds ; 
 one being the natural successor of the other, whilst 
 at the same time, according to their own assertions, 
 only one, at any one time, could profess the true 
 belief. This very circumstance excited in -all a 
 natural curiosity to see these two renowned parties 
 brought front to front in the arena of religious con- 
 test. 
 
 The Jaco requested Philo to state the principles of 
 the religious system which the Israelites held to be 
 the true one. He however demurred, desiring Paul, 
 the Christian, to give a statement of his views con- 
 cerning true revelation. Amid the applause of the 
 Council, Paul arose and spoke as follows : " It has 
 pleased the Lord of the Universe to favor man with 
 three distinct revelations, three distinct systems of 
 laws ; distinct as to the time, the form and the pecu- 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 181 
 
 liar circumstances under which they were made 
 known to him ; but all of one substance, the end and 
 great object of each being the same. He first be- 
 stowed the law of nature, when he revealed himself 
 to the ancient patriarchs, in a manner, simple, intel- 
 ligible and comprehensive, as was suited to the primi- 
 tive state of man. That law is the foundation and 
 basis of the two subsequent laws, which are but fuller 
 developments thereof, modified according to the era, 
 and to the exigencies of the people whom they were 
 to govern. This law of nature is an epitome of all 
 the revelations which God has made to man. Hence 
 it contains in substance all those dogmas of faith and 
 morality which we now profess ; but in a less de- 
 veloped state, which it was the task of succeeding 
 revelations to elaborate. From it we learn the ex- 
 istence of the Supreme Being and his attributes. 
 Moreover, among its chief elements may be men- 
 tioned, the immortality of the human soul, the exist- 
 ence of a future state of being, together with the 
 rewards and punishments thereto attached ; the fall 
 of the angels and of man ; as also the future redemp- 
 tion of the latter. 
 
 " Next in order is the Written Law which Moses 
 received on the Mount of Sinai. It contains a more 
 full explanation of the great truths inculcated by the 
 
 original law, by the establishment of positive rules 
 
 16 
 
 \J 
 
182 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 and enactments. But this written law has yet to be 
 more fully developed by another revelation from 
 heaven, which was to be the last and final declara- 
 tion of God's will and pleasure; the precepts and 
 ordinances which it would establish, being ultimate 
 and unchangeable. On the other hand, the object 
 of the written law required that its usages and spirit 
 should be but temporary in their character. It was 
 designed merely to furnish a rule and standard of 
 action, by which the chosen people of God might be 
 enabled to flourish and prosperously increase in hap- 
 piness, until the more complete dispensation would 
 be made. With this latter it formed a connecting 
 link, its whole spirit being to foreshadow a Redeemer 
 to come. All its rites and ceremonies have reference 
 to a more perfect one, because they are the types 
 and figures of a great future reality, which cease at 
 the moment of its arrival. At the very hour of the 
 proclamation of the new law, the other is abolished. 
 The written law presents a Saviour to come, the law 
 of grace signifies a Saviour present. Hence, until 
 his coming, the former was authentic; after his 
 advent, it stood necessarily annulled. 
 
 " Christ, the Saviour, is then the object sought, 
 both by the Jewish and the Christian laws. Hence, 
 the Christian must concede, that if Christ be not 
 already come, the Jewish worship is the approved 
 
VARIOUS REVELATIONS. 183 
 
 doctrine of heaven. And the Jew on his part must 
 acknowledge, that if the Messiah has really come, 
 the tenets of his disciples constitute the only true 
 religion on earth. The great point now to be deter- 
 mined is : i Has or has not the Messiah come?' " 
 
184 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE MESSIAH. 
 
 Characteristics of the Messiah. He was foretold by the prophets. 
 His advocates should be able to prove the fact of his earthly 
 sojourn. They do prove it. Why he has been acknowledged by 
 so few of the people to whom he was promised. He is followed 
 by the Gentiles — and it was foretold that his own people would 
 desert him — which is a strong proof that he is the Christ. In 
 him are all the prophecies fulfilled. His life, death and resur- 
 rection. As he foretold he has established his spiritual kingdom. 
 Whence the conclusion that he is the Christ. The Council assent. 
 Justo's speech— he rejects the Pagan gods. He recapitulates 
 the evidence of the Mahometan and Jewish systems. He enu- 
 merates the foundations for the Christian belief. The wonders 
 performed by Jesus — they could be performed by none other 
 than a God, or one empowered by him. God could never aid 
 an impostor. Then is he the true Messiah. Justo's decision. 
 Its reception by the Council. Adjournment. 
 
 "Both Jew and Christian then," observed the 
 Jaco, " agree in their belief in the great Messiah ; 
 the former assures us that he will come, the latter 
 affirms that he has actually come. They agree in 
 the absolute fact, concerning the mission of Christ, 
 whilst they differ only as to the time of its accom- 
 plishment. Now if the Messiah has come, as the 
 Christian asserts, it must be an historical fact, and 
 as such can be tested by the method of Philo. If the 
 Christian can establish this fact, we as consistent 
 
TIIE* MESSIAH. 185 
 
 men must adopt his system ; but if he fails to do so, 
 we must coincide with the belief of the Jews, for 
 between the one and the other creed there is no 
 middle place." In these views of the Jaco, the 
 Council concurred. "How," continued he, " is the 
 Messiah to be known ? What particular character- 
 istic does he possess by which we may single him out 
 from other men ? What circumstances are to indi- 
 cate his presence ? At what particular period is he 
 to appear ? Of what tribe will he spring ? What 
 country is to receive him ?" 
 
 "All these things," answered Philo, "have been 
 clearly marked out and distinctly foretold by many 
 prophets, several ''thousand years past ; and may be 
 seen 'and read by all in our sacred volumes. The 
 place of his birth, the tribe and house of which he is 
 to be born, the period of his advent, the circumstances 
 of his life and death stand positively recorded with 
 historical accuracy and precision. The dying Pa- 
 triarch Jacob, when imparting his last benediction 
 to his assembled children, foretold to them, that the 
 Messiah, the expected of nations, would come at the 
 moment when the house of Judah would cease to rule. 
 In definite terms also King David presaged the ap- 
 pearance of his wonderful Son, describing him minu- 
 tely. Prophet Michaeas announced that he is to be 
 
 born in the city of Bethlehem, of the house of Judah. 
 
 16* 
 
186 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Daniel enumerated the four kingdoms, which were to 
 precede that of the Messiah, recounting, moreover, 
 the number of weeks that were to elapse previous to 
 his coming, and the number that were to intervene 
 between his birth and his death, and almost states 
 the moment at which he is to appear, and again, 
 when he is to leave the earth. Other prophets are 
 even more minute. Isaiah describes his character, 
 his life and death, and all the circumstances attend- 
 ing it, as if he had been contemporary with him, and 
 an eye-witness of his actions. Bethlehem, as I said, 
 before, is designated as the place of his birth, Jeru- 
 salem as the theatre of his sufferings. A virgin of 
 the house of David is named as his future mother ; 
 his own people as his murderers. Both the crime 
 and its punishment are portrayed with such liveliness 
 and truth, as to suggest the presence of the reality 
 itself. And this entire narrative is related many 
 centuries before its actual occurrence." 
 
 "If such be the characteristics of the Messiah," 
 said Prince Fugurundono," so many, so remarkable, 
 so positive, that all may perceive and recognize them, 
 how can there be a possibility of mistaking him, when 
 he shall present himself to the world ? 
 
 " The Messiah was actually recognized," answered 
 Paul, " when he came upon the earth, and to this 
 very day is acknowledged to be, and worshipped as, 
 
THE MESSIAH. 187 
 
 the promised of nations, the Christ, the leader, who 
 has realized the expectations of the Gentiles. And 
 to this fact a Christian world can testify." 
 
 " But the Jewish world," answered Philo, " denies 
 the veracity of this fact, maintaining that the true 
 Messiah has not yet made his appearance upon the 
 earth. There have, indeed, at various times appeared 
 false pretenders to the Divine character, but he to 
 whom the splendid predictions of the prophet belong, 
 and truly apply, has not as yet been seen upon the 
 earth." 
 
 " What effectual argument can be urged from the 
 fact that the Jewish world has protested against the 
 truth of the Messiah having actually appeared?" said 
 Paul. "You forget that the house of Judah has 
 ceased to rule. His sceptre has long since passed 
 from his grasp. The four empires of which Daniel 
 spoke, have long since risen and fallen, and their 
 existence is no longer known upon the earth. His 
 weeks likewise have begun and have ended. More- 
 over, the abomination of desolations has stood in the 
 holy of holies. The Messiah came at the appointed 
 time, amongst his own, — but they rejected him ; they 
 welcomed him not; and now they have ceased to be 
 his people." 
 
 " It is indeed, true," said Philo, " that the time of 
 his coming seems to have elapsed. Many of the 
 
188 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 symbols that were to precede, to accompany, and to 
 follow his advent, have certainly appeared. We fear 
 that his coming has been delayed in consequence of 
 the sins of our nation. We still hope that the God 
 of our fathers will finally be moved by our calamities, 
 and send us from heaven, the Expected of nations." 
 
 " The Messiah promised to your fathers," answered 
 Paul, " was none other than Jesus of Nazareth, who 
 appeared in Judea, under the reign of Tiberius, at 
 the precise time, and under the very circumstances 
 mentioned by the prophet, in centuries past. In him 
 all the types and figures of the old law are fulfilled, 
 in him all their prophecies are literally accomplished." 
 
 "If Jesus be the Christ," answered Philo, "how 
 shall we account for the fact that so few of our peo- 
 ple have followed him — that he was disowned by the 
 great majority of the nation, and followed only by 
 the Gentiles ? Was the Christ not sent to the house 
 of Israel ; and to seek the lost ones of the children 
 of Jacob ? He was not intended for the Gentiles." 
 
 "This very circumstance," answered Paul, "is 
 the most convincing proof, and the most evident sign 
 that Jesus truly was the Messiah, the Son of the 
 Almighty God. He was, indeed, sent to redeem the 
 lost ones of the house of Israel, and he did redeem 
 such as were willing to be redeemed. But he was 
 to be the Saviour of the Gentiles also. The fact 
 
THE MESSIAH. 189 
 
 that his own people would disown, nay, even perse- 
 cute and put him to death, has not escaped the notice 
 of the prophets. It was one of the principal marks 
 by which he was to be recognized as the true Mes- 
 siah. And the reality of its accomplishment in the 
 person of Jesus, openly proclaims him to be the 
 salvation of Israel, the expectation of the Gentiles. 
 ' His own people shall reject him,' said the prophet 
 Isaias, 6 and give him up into the hands of sinners. 
 And his murderers will remain hard-hearted to the 
 end.' " 
 
 " All these assertions have literally been verified. 
 He was delivered to the Gentiles, who at the instance 
 of the ungrateful Jews, with savage ferocity con- 
 demned and executed him. At the last scene of his 
 eventful and benignant earthly career, at Calvary, 
 when the rocks were rent, and the creation stood 
 aghast at the agony of its Sovereign, these treach- 
 erous ones for whom he had visited and undergone 
 a life of austerity on earth, stood regarding the scene 
 with cold indifference, or filling his dying ears with 
 horrible blasphemies, exclaiming, 'His blood be upon 
 us and upon our children.' The imprecation is being 
 met with fearful realization. The avenging blood of 
 their murdered Saviour everywhere tracks them, 
 calling upon heaven and earth for the retribution 
 which they have merited. They will not hear of 
 
190 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 nor perceive, nor believe in their redemption. Where 
 now is the Lion of Juda, and the house of David ? 
 Where is the holy city, and the tombs of their 
 anointed kings ? Juda is no more ! Jerusalem has 
 fallen ! Her orphan sons and widowed daughters 
 are lonely wanderers among the nations of the earth, 
 without country or home ; without altars, priests, or 
 sacrifice; despised, if not hated, by all. And that 
 Jesus, whom they crucified as a public malefactor, is 
 now recognized, revered and adored as the great 
 Messiah, from the rising of the sun to the going 
 down thereof, in every clime under the firmament." 
 
 "The other characteristics foretold of the Mes- 
 siah," continued Paul, " are literally true of Jesus, 
 and of him only. For since these prophecies were 
 uttered, who that has appeared upon the earth save 
 him, that can verify the substance thereof? The 
 Messiah was to spring from the tribe of Judah to the 
 royal house of David; He was to be born in Bethle- 
 hem, of a virgin of David's house, and to be styled, 
 by excellence, the son of David. Now Jesus Christ 
 was born in Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, — of 
 Mary, a virgin of the house of David. In him, then, 
 and in no other, can they all be fully verified. 
 Again, the Messiah was to appear precisely at the 
 close of the weeks of Daniel, when the house of 
 Judah should have ceased to rule. At the exact 
 
THE MESSIAH. 101 
 
 time does Jesus come ; the sceptre of Juclah having 
 already departed from his house. According to the 
 same authority, wise men were to journey from the 
 East, . to adore the child, offering him their gifts. 
 The Magi do come to Bethlehem from the East, guided 
 by a star, which circumstance had likewise been men- 
 tioned. They discover the infant Jesus, wrapped in 
 swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. They 
 adore him as the Messiah, offering to him their pre- 
 sents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. According 
 to Daniel, Christ is to be slain at the end of sixty- 
 two weeks, and the people that will deny him, are 
 not to be his. According to Isaiah, he is to suffer 
 death for the sins of his people; and is to receive 
 that death from the hands of that very people whom 
 he had come to save. Now Jesus of Nazareth, was 
 actually slain at the very time mentioned by Daniel, 
 and under the circumstances noted by Isaiah, " for 
 the sins of the people," as it was publicly avowed by 
 his own judges, saying, " that it was expedient that 
 one man should die for the people, that the whole 
 nation might not perish." Besides, he was to arise 
 from the dead on the third day, and to establish a 
 spiritual kingdom, which, according to the prophet 
 Daniel, is to overshadow and outlive all the king- 
 doms of the earth, and to stand forever. These and 
 similar wonders concerning him were written cen- 
 
192 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 turies ago, of the truth of which any one may satisfy 
 himself. And the same occurrences he himself fore- 
 tells, a short time before his death. Aye, he fore- 
 tells his very death, and the minutest circumstances 
 connected with it, in the very day of his triumph, 
 at a moment when nothing seemed less probable. 
 He announces in plain and distinct terms, that he 
 will be slain, and on the third day arise again ; that 
 the city, whose inhabitants were about to crucify 
 him, and which then appeared so beautiful and so 
 mighty, would in a few years be levelled with the 
 ground, so that not even a stone should be left upon 
 a stone. All these predictions have been verified to 
 the very letter. Their fulfilment has long since been 
 recorded on the pages of history. As announced by 
 himself and his prophets, on the stated day he did 
 arise triumphantly from his tomb, walked, conversed, 
 ate and drank with his disciples for forty entire days. 
 The judgments predicted upon the devoted city and 
 its people, came in due time- The leader came, as 
 foretold by Daniel, with another people, and not a 
 stone was left upon a stone. 
 
 " Before ascending to heaven, the Messiah estab- 
 lished the promised empire which has actually over- 
 shadowed and superseded all other kingdoms of the 
 earth. It has already stood for more than sixteen 
 hundred years ; it has not only broken into pieces 
 
THE MESSIAH. 193 
 
 the four idolatrous kingdoms, but has long outlived 
 all the principalities which it found on the earth, 
 whilst jet it blooms and prospers, in all its youthful 
 freshness, with vigor undecayed, preparing for other 
 and yet greater triumphs. The countries which 
 Sesostris overran, the kingdoms which Cyrus won, 
 the lands which Alexander conquered, the provinces 
 which Caesar ruled ; the hardy Gauls, the warlike 
 Germans, the ardent Spaniards, the brave Hiber- 
 nians, the mighty Britons, the wild Sclavonians, 
 constitute but simple provinces of the glorious empire 
 founded by Jesus of Nazareth. His mighty standard, 
 the cross of Golgotha, has been planted, even beyond 
 the boundless ocean ; and tribes, nations, kingdoms 
 and worlds, before unknown, have been gathered into 
 his empire. The East is his, and the West is his ; 
 the North and the South are his; the Heathens have 
 been given him as an inheritance, and the uttermost 
 bounds of the earth do not circumscribe his posses- 
 sions." 
 
 " Now," pursued Paul, turning to Philo, " I con- 
 clude, and I call upon you, as an honest and con- 
 sistent man, to sustain the conclusion, by virtue of 
 the principles by which you have professed yourselves 
 to be governed; in accordance with the prophets 
 and the law, and the oracles contained in your sacred 
 
 books, — that Jesus, the son of David, the son of 
 
 17 
 
194 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Mary, born in Bethlehem, and crucified on Golgotha, 
 is the Christ, the Messiah promised to the Jews, and 
 expected by the Gentiles. For you can no longer 
 insist that he has not come. That would be to re- 
 present the law as untrue, to stamp the prophets as 
 impostors, and to designate the rites and ceremonies 
 of the ancient worship as false from the beginning. 
 The time of his coming is undoubtedly past. But 
 you assert that he has delayed it in consequence of 
 the number and magnitude of our sins. By what 
 grounds, either in Scripture or reason, are you war- 
 ranted in asserting this ? There is nothing in the 
 law, nothing in the prophets, nothing in the ordi- 
 nances or traditions, which admit even the supposi- 
 tion of its veracity." Philo wept. He was still 
 deeply attached to the law and worship of his fathers, 
 but their hold on his convictions was deeply impaired. 
 The majority of the council were carried away en- 
 thusiastically by the persuasive and convincing rea- 
 soning of Paul. At this moment, it would have been 
 an easy matter to cause the religion of Jesus to be 
 declared the religion of the empire, by acclamation, 
 but none were willing to anticipate the decision of 
 the crown-prince, to whom all eyes were now turned. 
 Justo arose amid the deepest attention of the council. 
 The pagan priests trembled in their seats, for they 
 well knew that neither they nor their gods had aught 
 
THE MESSIAH. 195 
 
 of favor to expect from the young prince. " The 
 gods of paganism," said he, " and their deceitful 
 ministers have too long sported with the belief, and 
 abused the confidence of men. It is time for us to 
 vindicate our rights, and to discard those by whom 
 have been deluded. These pretended deities are 
 but vile impostors, the tools of their guilty priests. 
 Mahomet was but a fanatic and a tyrant, and his 
 worship base and senseless. Moses possesses all the 
 true characteristics of a prophet of God, and his law 
 is the true introduction to the last and greatest 
 revelation of heaven granted to man. Jesus Christ is 
 the inspired of prophets, and his law is the perfection 
 and the accomplishment of all laws. Mahomet appears, 
 and presents his fabulous narrative and absurd 
 doctrines for belief ; and on being asked the proof of 
 their correctness, he draws forth a glittering sabre, 
 before which the cowardly inhabitants fall down and 
 submit. Moses addresses the Egyptian king, in behalf 
 of the Hebrew people, in the name of the most high 
 God. Pharaoh demands a voucher for the truth of 
 his most extraordinary mission. And Moses changes 
 the waters of Egypt into blood, envelopes the entire 
 land in darkness, and convulses its entire populace 
 with mourning, in a single night, by the sight of the 
 awful death-couch, which is spread in every house for 
 the cherished first-born of the family. These were 
 
196 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 proofs which Pharaoh could not mistake. And we 
 too, with the Egyptian king who ordered him to 
 depart, must believe and acknowledge the divine 
 authority of his mission. 
 
 "But far stronger than those of Moses, are the 
 proofs of the mission of Jesus, the Saviour of the 
 Christians. He comes into the world with the avowed 
 purpose of instructing man in a new doctrine, with 
 the intention of unfolding to him a new and unfailing 
 road to heaven. He claims to be authorized, and to 
 act in the name of God. His credentials are 
 demanded. Whereupon he enacts miracles unheard 
 of and inexplicable. He opens the eyes of the blind. 
 He unlocks the ears of the deaf. He looses the tongue 
 of the dumb, and he restores the sick to health, and 
 the dead to life. These are authentic facts, alike 
 witnessed by friends and enemies. Now these miracles 
 require an agent, who has the power of using and 
 controlling the laws of nature. But this can be 
 possessed by none except God, or one aided and 
 directed by him. Therefore Jesus of Nazareth, who 
 performed these miracles in the broad daylight, and 
 before the world, is either God himself, or one acting 
 by his name, and under his authority. In either case 
 we are not only justified but bound to hear, believe, 
 and obey him. For the Almighty would never per- 
 mit an impostor to execute things which require the 
 
THE MESSIAH. 197 
 
 intervention of an omnipotent power. This would not 
 only sanction, but directly contribute to the heartless 
 deception of his people. Jesus then cannot deceive 
 us, since he is, if not God himself, at least his most 
 favored friend, performing works which the Divine 
 will alone can operate. Hence he must teach us that 
 which is just, correct and righteous; and we as 
 faithful and obedient servants, must in every manner 
 conform to his wishes, regulations, and commands. 
 
 "From this moment our task becomes not only 
 more pleasing, but more distinct and tangible. We 
 have found the great teacher, and I feel honored, 
 from this moment, in proclaiming myself his dis- 
 ciple. He comes to us fortified with the authority 
 of an infallible God. He has proved himself to be 
 almighty, and hence can do for us all things. He 
 is all-wise, and thus can teach all things which it 
 behooves us to know. He promised that he would 
 redeem the inhabitants of the earth. He has lived 
 and died for us. He promised that he would rise 
 again, and establish a spiritual kingdom. He arose 
 from the dead, and founded an empire, on whose 
 boundaries the sun of heaven never sets. He has 
 promised life eternal to those that hear his voice, and 
 obey his commands. Surely then he will not fail to 
 redeem this last, best promise to man. 
 
 " We need not Xaca or Amida. We need not the 
 17* 
 
198 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 absurd fancies of the gods of the east or the west. 
 We care not for Mahomet, or his paradise. Jesus of 
 Nazareth is our God, from this day forward and 
 forever." 
 
 The greatest excitement prevailed in the council 
 at this declaration ; — the majority enthusiastically 
 applauding. Others however murmured, — and many 
 wept, some for joy, and others from rage. The 
 assembly was adjourned for several days. 
 
THE BIBLE. 199 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 The decision of the Prince creates much excitement, especially 
 amongst the Bonzas — Justo preserves his equanimity — Ses- 
 sion of the Council in the open air — Various devices and 
 inscriptions on banners — Each sect claims the true belief — Is 
 the Bible the guide of faith — Jesus neither wrote, nor did he 
 order to be written, the Bible — The Apostles wrote, on par- 
 ticular occasions, accidentally — The Book not designed as a 
 religious guide — Reasons for this belief stated by Salmeron — 
 His opponents admit that it was not the original mode of 
 instruction — Then why should the latter be changed — How 
 prove the identity of the Book — how its inspired character — 
 The Saviour should have written, or caused to be written, a 
 book expressly for our guidance, did he wish that we be taught 
 in this manner — On the principle urged by the Dissenters, we 
 are to deny the authority of the Manual. 
 
 The decision of the Prince of Japan in favor of 
 Jesus of Nazareth, and his law had excited great 
 commotion, not only in the valley of Frenoxama, 
 but throughout all Japan. The Pagan, Mahometan, 
 and Jewish Divines of the Council were in a state 
 of perfect uproar. The Bonzas more especially 
 were convulsed with rage and mortification at 
 seeing the young Prince thus abandoning the 
 Deities of the Empire, and preparing to worship 
 a foreign God. They threatened, if the attempts 
 
200 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 were carried out, all manner of vengeance from 
 the hands of the ousted heavenly sovereigns. But 
 this demonstration from them was but the last 
 explosion of baffled hopes. The Prince calmly 
 remarked that by their undignified deportment, 
 they were but affording him a fair specimen of 
 the culture they had received from their gods, 
 having not even yet acquired that necessary requi- 
 site of a debater, courteous and polite demeanor. 
 
 The Emperor was highly delighted with the 
 spirited and independent course pursued by his 
 son. "It was worthy," he was heard to say, 
 "of the great Dairi." But amongst the Christian 
 Divines also, anxiety prevailed. The Prince had 
 indeed decided in favor of Christianity, but had 
 manifested no predilection for any particular form 
 of it. Each of them allowed himself to cherish 
 the hope that the Prince might possibly be induced 
 to favor his peculiar sect. The Prince, on his part, 
 had just learned, not without considerable surprise, 
 that even the Christians differed widely, amongst 
 themselves, both in dogma and in practice ; — and he 
 caused notice to be given to all the Doctors of that 
 faith to hold themselves in readiness to defend, 
 before him, at the next session, the merits of their 
 several sects. Since the first session of the Council, 
 new divines had been daily arriving from all parts 
 
THE BIBLE. 201 
 
 of the globe. The full number now present exceeded 
 one thousand. 
 
 The spring had bloomed forth in all its gay and 
 joyous verdancy, when the Sixth Session was con- 
 voked on the first day of May, in the open air, 
 owing as well to the delightful state of the season, 
 as to the immense concourse of spectators, who had 
 gathered around the former hall of their delibera- 
 tions. The representatives of the different Chris- 
 tian denominations, previously to the meeting, were 
 employed in erecting and adorning magnificent tents, 
 each of them anxious to display to the best advan- 
 tage the characteristic of his religious body. In 
 turn, the professors of the other religions strove to 
 imitate and surpass the tasteful style of the Chris- 
 tians. The whole presented the appearance of a 
 magnificent encampment, erected in a semi-circular 
 form. In front were placed elevated seats for the 
 Emperor, the young Princes, and fifteen foreign 
 ambassadors, who had just arrived in the valley from 
 China, Tartary, and the Indies, to witness the novel 
 sight of the religious contest being carried on at 
 Frenoxama, with so much order, and attended with 
 so much interest. 
 
 At nine o'clock, the Court, with the foreign am- 
 bassadors and their retinue, entered the encamp- 
 ment. They were received with loud applause, each 
 
202 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 tent endeavoring to attract the notice of the Princes 
 as they passed by them. When all were seated, the 
 Princes cast their eyes around at the different tents, 
 and wondered much at the various devices inscribed 
 on their banners. On one was inscribed the name 
 of "Arians," on another that of "Nestorians," on 
 others those of "Lutherans," "Baptists," "Presby- 
 terians," "Catholics," &c. "Where are the Chris- 
 tians?" asked Justo. A Rabbi answered, "They 
 are all Christians, yet they hate, condemn, and 
 quarrel with each other, with even greater malig- 
 nity and acrimony than they bear towards us, Jews 
 and Gentiles. The Presbyterian asserts the final 
 abode of the Baptist to be Hell, and the opinion of 
 the latter in regard to the ultimate residence of 
 his enemy is precisely the same." "But why have 
 they dropped the name of Christian," inquired 
 Fugurundono, " and adopted that of Arian, or 
 Lutheran, or others?" "Because," answered Sco- 
 tus, " Arius improved upon the old system of Chris- 
 tianity, and to distinguish themselves from the old 
 believers, those who approved of his innovations 
 styled themselves, or were styled by others, Arians. 
 And the same may be said of the others." "Are 
 there any here," resumed Fugurundono, "who still 
 profess the ancient system?" "Yes," answered 
 Scotus, "that large body on the right, are the 
 
THE BIBLE. 203 
 
 ancient Christians. They are styled Catholics." 
 "Why called Catholics?" "To denote their uni- 
 versality; they are found every where, and there 
 have been found from the beginning. They are 
 obstinate and self-willed, resisting all progress and 
 improvement in religious dogmas." "Why have 
 you Arians and Lutherans, and Baptists, and others 
 made improvements upon the ancient system ?" asked 
 Fugurundono. " Did Jesus of Nazareth give an im- 
 perfect system of religion to mankind?" "The sys- 
 tem of Jesus was perfect in the beginning," answered 
 Scotus, " but in the course of time it became 
 corrupt, and needed reformation." "At what time, 
 and by whom," asked Salmeron the Catholic, " was 
 the corruption introduced; and in what particular 
 point did the corruption lay?" To this interroga- 
 tory, the Arians, Lutherans, Baptists, &c, gave 
 each a different answer, and began a warm dispute 
 amongst themselves, to the no slight amusement of 
 the Catholics, who affirmed that the ancient system 
 was incapable of corruption, and that moreover, 
 improvement upon the work of God was impossible. 
 
 "But which of you gentlemen/' said the Jaco, 
 "possess the best and most improved edition of 
 Christianity?" The prerogative was claimed by 
 the Lutherans, Baptists, and about two hundred 
 other sects. "But at this rate," continued the 
 
204 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Jaco, "we will never arrive at a conclusion. Have 
 you not some common standard by which these 
 manifold claims may be determined, and this unplea- 
 sant dispute silenced ; some universal rule by which 
 the truth maybe discovered?" "Yes! we have!" 
 exclaimed some two hundred voices, and holding up 
 a book, they said, — "Here is the volume which con- 
 tains the true revelation of Jesus Christ. Take, 
 read, and learn from it the genuine system of the 
 religion of the Son of God. It will decide who is 
 in the right, and who in the wrong." " Have 
 you all read and studied the book?" resumed the 
 Jaco. "We have," was the reply. "Do you under- 
 stand its meaning?" "We do." "And obey its 
 instruction?" "Yes," was the answer. "How then 
 does it happen that notwithstanding this, you do not 
 agree upon the same system, but pursue different 
 pathways to salvation?" Here they began to accuse 
 each other of not correctly understanding the book, 
 but mistaking its true meaning, and consequently 
 deducing wrong conclusions. 
 
 " Let us have the book," said Fugurundono. 
 Here a Bible was handed to him. " What is it ?" 
 continued he. " It is a collection," answered a 
 Christian divine, " of the writings of various indi- 
 viduals, extending over a period of some four thou- 
 sand years. Moses is the author of the first, and 
 
THE BIBLE. 205 
 
 St. John, the Evangelist, of the last chapter of the 
 book." "But how," observed Triphon, "can a 
 book, that was begun four thousand years before it 
 was completed, be a guide for man in the search 
 after truth?" "The whole truth it contained, was 
 not known until the last chapter was written." 
 " What then was to become of the millions who 
 lived and died before the book was completed ? 
 How were they conducted to the truth ? Is the 
 entire book, as I hold it in my hands, necessary to 
 constitute my guide, or is a part of it sufficient for 
 that purpose ? If the whole book only, constitute a 
 safe guide, it could be serviceable only after John 
 had finished his portion of it, which did not happen, 
 as history informs us, until several years after 
 Christianity had already been established. From 
 whom did the first Christians learn Christianity? 
 If a part be sufficient for a knowledge of the truth, 
 which part is it ? And for what use is the rest 
 intended?" These questions temporarily silenced 
 the Christian disputants. They had never before 
 occurred to their minds. 
 
 " The greater proportion of the book which they 
 offer," observed Philo the Jew, " they have obtained 
 from us. It is our law, and the language of our 
 prophets, and as a distinct manual of religious wor- 
 ship, they can lay no claim to it." — "But we do 
 
 18 
 
206 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 claim it," observed a parson, "because it testifies of 
 the Christ. It announces him, describes him, and, as 
 it were, introduces him into the world. It contains 
 the written law, which is the foundation of the law 
 of grace, promulgated by Christ. It is the text book 
 of which Christianity is a commentary. Hence this 
 first portion is necessarily connected with the second, 
 called the New Testament." 
 
 " What do you mean by the New Testament ?" 
 observed Fugurundono. "We understand by it," 
 answered the parson, "the second portion of the 
 Bible, all of which pertains to the Christian law. It 
 contains, and from it we must gather, whatever is 
 necessary to be believed and practised in the Chris- 
 tian law." "Who composed the book?" continued 
 Fugurundono. "The Apostles," was the answer. 
 "Did Jesus write?" "No." "Did he command 
 his Apostles to write ?" " No." " Did the Apostles 
 write conjointly or separately?" "Those who did 
 write, wrote separately, as circumstances seemed to 
 require it. And some Apostles did not write at all." 
 "Did those who wrote, sit down with the avowed 
 purpose of composing a book, from which their fol- 
 lowers were to learn their religion?" "Nothing of 
 the kind appears to have been the intention. They 
 wrote at various times, in various places, without any 
 common understanding or direct concurrence. Nay, 
 
THE BIBLE. 207 
 
 some wrote, when others had died." "Were the 
 writings of one Apostle intended for the whole family 
 of Christians?" "Not generally, since some evi- 
 dently wrote only for certain persons, under very 
 particular circumstances, with which the others had 
 no concern." 
 
 "From these admissions," said Salmeron, "I sus- 
 pect that you labor under some misapprehension with 
 regard to this book, and the use for which it was 
 intended. If Jesus had desired that mankind should 
 learn his law by means of a book, his first and most 
 imperative duty to his subjects would have been, to 
 write that book himself, or dictate it to his disciples, 
 and cause it to be composed under his own super- 
 vision, and the first injunction of his law should be, 
 a command to all to read the book thus composed. 
 It was in this manner, that the God of the Hebrews 
 wrote the ten commandments on the tables of stone, 
 and caused the same to be read by the people. But 
 Jesus, you assure us, did not write himself, nor did 
 he command his Apostles to write ; nor are we posi- 
 tive that so much as a line was written during his 
 life-time. Such conduct in a great and wise law- 
 giver, in your theory, is a perfect mystery, when you 
 say that the truths and entire doctrine of Christi- 
 anity must be obtained from this book. Were a 
 human lawgiver thus to act, his course would be 
 
208 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 regarded as emanating from the mind of a fool or an 
 idiot. But yet worse, he did not make the slightest 
 provision for the rectification by his disciples of this 
 evident neglect, by commissioning them to w/ite such 
 a book. In all his intercourse with, and instructions 
 to them, he does not even once allude to the fact. 
 He tells them to go and teach the nations, to bap- 
 tize them, to preach the gospel of salvation, but as 
 for writing a book, or giving it to the people, it 
 seeuis never to have entered into his plans, not even 
 into his mind. 
 
 " And the truth of the matter is, that the book was 
 not so much as known to the first Christians, not 
 even to the Apostles, for the simple reason, that it 
 did not exist. Scattered and detached writings, 
 penned by an Apostle for particular cases, were 
 known to those who possessed such writings, from 
 being addressed to themselves. As to the book as it 
 now is, it was not known till several centuries after 
 the foundation of Christianity ; when the faith of 
 Christ was already firmly planted not only in the 
 Roman Empire but in the remotest provinces of the 
 earth. Nay, more, Christianity was widely spread, 
 and deeply rooted, when John wrote his gospel, 
 which is certainly not the least important chapter of 
 the book." 
 
 "These historical facts," continued Salmeron, 
 
THE BIBLE. 209 
 
 "prove to my entire satisfaction, that Christianity 
 was not in the first instance established, or intended 
 to be established by means of the book of which we 
 are speaking. And moreover, after, in different 
 places and at different times, it began to appear by 
 parts and parcels, it still remained hidden for many 
 centuries from the knowledge of the bulk of mankind, 
 more especially in the truthful and authentic form in 
 which we now possess it. Perhaps not a line of the 
 whole book was written for the sake of proselytism, 
 but to instruct, correct, and reprove those who were 
 already Christians, and to record the history of the 
 life and death, the sayings and the doings of the 
 founder of Christianity, and of the first disciples, 
 the twelve Apostles. I now ask you as candid men, 
 whether Christianity was established in the first 
 instance and propagated by means of this or of any 
 other book ?" 
 
 The preacher answered: 
 
 " We cannot change the record of history, nor do 
 we wish to contradict it. Christianity was certainly 
 not established by means of a book. We all know 
 that the Saviour instructed his disciples by word of 
 mouthy which method his Apostles adopted in 
 making known its truths to the heathen world. 
 
 " But what of that ! Since then the world has 
 
 changed — men and manners are not what they then 
 
 18* 
 
210 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 were — improvements have been made. The race is 
 progressive. Whilst everything around us changes, 
 why should we adhere with obstinacy to the antique, 
 superannuated mode of propagating religion and 
 morality ? Why shall we not invoke the aid of the 
 press? It has already wrought wonders in every 
 department of science, why should it not likewise 
 facilitate the means of teaching religion •? Instruc- 
 tion by word of mouth was well adapted to the times 
 of the Saviour, and the genius and customs of the 
 people of that age. Our progressive age, however, 
 requires a process more expeditious than this. I can 
 distribute a hundred bibles in less time than you 
 would occupy in teaching a single prayer to a child." 
 "But remember," observed Salmeron, "that a 
 hundred bibles will not teach a child one single 
 prayer. If applied to human affairs, your progres- 
 sive views may operate exceedingly well,- but I can- 
 not perceive how they can bear upon the eternal and 
 unchangeable Spirit of God. If the Saviour has 
 established a method by which he designed that we 
 should have expounded the true nature and spirit of 
 his sacred revelation, this method must now be the 
 same as it was on the first day it was promulgated, 
 and must continue as such amid all earthly changes, 
 until he shall revoke it and substitute another in its 
 place. If the rule of guidance first ordained and 
 
THE BIBLE. 211 
 
 followed by Christ himself and his Apostles has been 
 modified or annulled by him, you must show us when, 
 how, and for what purpose this change has been 
 determined upon. When or where did Jesus, or one 
 commissioned by him say ' Go, write a book, and dis- 
 tribute the same to the people ? Read the Scriptures, 
 and learn from them my law ?' How can you require 
 me, or how can I consent to forsake this universal 
 rule of ages, which has for its author Jesus himself, 
 for one which he never established, alluded to, or 
 acted upon? But the new rule, you say, is an 
 improvement upon the old one. This I deny. It is 
 easy, I grant, to read, for those who. can, and have a 
 Bible ; but to gather from it God's true revelations, 
 is quite another thing, as your countless divisions 
 attest." 
 
 "And what, should we even waive this point?" 
 said Philo. "Let us suppose for an instant that 
 Jesus did intend that mankind should hereafter be 
 instructed by means of a Bible, and that he ordered 
 such a book to be written. What evidence have you to 
 show that the volume I hold is the identical one 
 written conformably thereto, by Divine direction, 
 and inspiration ? I open the book, and I consult it 
 with regard to its own character. ' Are you a divine 
 book ?' I say. ' Are you written by heavenly inspi- 
 ration ?' * Who is your author?' The book is silent, 
 
212 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 — it cannot satisfy me. And yet this point is of the 
 highest importance. For if the book be not inspired, 
 how can I place full reliance upon it ? It is in that 
 case no more than an ordinary volume. How then 
 may I learn, with infallible certainty, that the book 
 you produce is inspired, and that it contains the 
 elements of eternal life ?" 
 
 " Simply," interrupted a parson, " by opening 
 the book and reading. You cannot have lost your 
 eye-sight. Do you not see that this is the gospel 
 of Matthew, the other that of Luke ; that this is 
 the epistle of Peter, the other that of Paul V 
 
 "I see," said Philo, "that the name of Matthew, 
 Luke, Peter and Paul, are inscribed upon those 
 pages, yet this by no means satisfies me that Luke 
 or Paul wrote those passages. Suppose that I would 
 inscribe your name at the head of the history of the 
 Empire just published. Would that, think you, 
 make you the author ? And if Luke and Mark did 
 write them, were they written under the influence 
 of inspiration at the time ? Or were they, indeed, 
 ever inspired when writing? Luke and Mark were 
 not even apostles, and yet you put forward their 
 writings as oracles, whilst at the same time you 
 reject a book of great merit, written by one who is 
 styled an apostle in this very volume." 
 
 " When the Dairi," observed Prince Fugurundono, 
 
THE BIBLE. 213 
 
 "granted the great charter of liberty to Japan, he 
 caused copies of it to be prepared under his personal 
 supervision, which, after having carefully examined, 
 he signed, affixing to them the great seal of the 
 Empire, to remove all possible doubts of the present 
 and future generation, as to their origin and char- 
 acter. He caused it, moreover, to be translated into 
 every dialect then spoken in Japan. Now, if the 
 Dairi thus acted, governed merely by human 
 prudence, can we expect a less amount of foresight 
 in the wise lawgiver of heaven, especially in an affair 
 of so much greater moment to mankind than is the 
 charter to the Japonians ? Besides, the law of God 
 being intended for all tribes and nations, it was right 
 and proper that the books of the law should have 
 been translated into every tongue and dialect spoken 
 under the sun." 
 
 "We all remember," continued Fugurundono, 
 " how difficult it was to procure a correct copy of 
 the writings of Confucius, ' that out of the one 
 hundred and twenty copies sent to Japan, not two 
 were found to agree in their detail. And according 
 to the Chinese literati, not one of these specimens 
 was a correct version of the original. If such be 
 the difficulty in obtaining the genuine writings of 
 only one author, so renowned as was Confucius, 
 what security can I promise myself, that the book 
 
214 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 you have put into my hands is a faithful copy, an 
 impartial transcript of the original text ; when it is, 
 moreover, made up of the writings of so many 
 different authors, all of them differing in style, 
 taste and genius. Some of these writings were 
 originally penned in the Hebrew, some in the Greek, 
 and some again in the Syro-Caldaic languages. 
 Have all of you studied Greek and Hebrew, so as 
 to be ready to compare the copies you have with the 
 original text? Are these books which you have 
 put into my hands the whole law, and nothing but 
 the law ? Where is the volume of the wars of the 
 Lord which it mentions? Why do some of you 
 a r lmit more, and others fewer of these books, as 
 authentic? Why do you make additions in some 
 places, and take away matter in others ? How can 
 you expect me to commit myself to the guidance of 
 this book, until all these doubtful points shall have 
 been explained and determined upon ?" 
 
 "And furthermore,"" added Philo, "how was each 
 individual in the early days to procure for himself a 
 copy ? In former days every syllable of a work 
 had to be written by the hands of men* To execute 
 a single copy was a matter not of days, but of years. 
 The art of printing was not then invented. How 
 were the poor, the great body of the people, to be- 
 furnished with Bibles ? One single copy could not 
 
THE BIBLE. 215 
 
 be procured for the half of an ordinary fortune. 
 Even now there are millions and millions to whom 
 the Bible itself, in consequence of its rarity, is 
 unknown, notwithstanding the ingenuity of modern 
 contrivance to multiply copies." 
 
 The ministers of the various dissenting Christian 
 sects attempted various replies, but none of them 
 were to the purpose. This, even the Pagans, 
 perceived, and therefore pitied them. " In truth," 
 said they, "it is more difficult to defend this Bible 
 system than what you are pleased to call our vision- 
 ary fancies. Now, if you succeed in extricating 
 yourself from the labyrinth into which the Jew has 
 placed you, you must indeed be the inspired of 
 God." 
 
 "But worse than all," continued Philo, " I do not 
 see what claim these gentlemen can have to the 
 book at all, Or how they can confide in it, acting in 
 accordance with their own principles. The book was 
 written more than sixteen hundred years ago. The 
 majority of the Bible Christians do not date back 
 even one hundred years. Hence, when they came 
 into being, the book had been fifteen hundred years 
 in the exclusive possession of another people, and 
 subject to their entire supervision and control. And 
 that people, according to the belief and doctrine of 
 the parsons, was deeply corrupted and debased, both 
 
216 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 in the dogmas of the creed, and in practical morality. 
 What security, then, can you have that the book 
 which you have taken from them has not been 
 infected with their own corruption, especially as it 
 has been copied and re-copied again and again by 
 those same immoral men ? How, under these cir- 
 cumstances, can you rely on the books yourselves, or 
 recommend them to the belief of others ?" To these 
 pertinent and searching inquires, the ministers had 
 not a word to reply. They looked vexed and 
 confounded, and fell to quarreling' among themselves, 
 to the no little amusement of the infidels and 
 pagans. 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 217 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 How is the Bible to be used ? — One passage contradicts another. 
 Human constitutions are invariably very specific, yet have a 
 judge and tribunal to expound their meaning. If this be the 
 text book, the constitution of heaven is obscure, vague, and 
 uncertain. The readers of the Bible cannot agree even upon 
 fundamental points — It is a positive cause of difference in reli- 
 gious opinion — Protestants, however, do not glean their faith, 
 from its perusal, but, like Catholics, from the precepts of 
 fathers, mothers and teachers — If we must hearken to some 
 doctrine, it is safer to hear the Catholic, teaching in the name 
 of the Church, than individual ministers on their own responsi- 
 bility. Our standard of faith must be safe, universal, within 
 the reach of all — Not such is the Bible. Remarks of Justo and 
 Nobunango. 
 
 "But should we even grant," said Salmeron, 
 
 " that you have the book complete, correct, and 
 
 entire, in a condition faultless as you would wish it, 
 
 fresh from the pen of inspiration, how, pray, is the 
 
 great hulk of mankind to make use of it ? And how, 
 
 more especially, were they to profit by it, in the first 
 
 ages of Christianity, when, out of a thousand men, 
 
 scarcely one was acquainted with the use of letters ? 
 
 Even in our days, you will find that with all our 
 
 improvement and progress in civilization, taking 
 
 mankind as a whole, there is not one person out of 
 
 19 
 
218 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 every hundred who is able to read. Did the Mes- 
 siah come only for the rich, who were able to procure 
 the books of his law, and for the learned who were 
 able to read them ? If so, he was not the Saviour 
 of all men, but only that of a favored few. And 
 yet we have been told of him, that his gospel was 
 to be preached to the poor. If He had intended 
 that his gospel should be obtained from a book, he 
 should first have caused the art of printing to be 
 invented some fourteen hundred years earlier, than 
 it has been known, and he should have established 
 common schools all over the world. He could not 
 certainly impose upon mankind the performance of 
 an impossibility. If he wished us all to read and 
 understand his law, he was bound to furnish us with 
 the means of doing so. His Bible was useless to 
 mankind, until mankind were able to use it. 
 
 "But even passing by the ignorant multitude, 
 who, however, have souls to be saved, no less than 
 the learned and the wise, how is a man when gifted 
 with knowledge and cultivated mental powers to 
 discover his course of action from this book ? How 
 is he to derive instruction from it?" "In the 
 simplest manner imaginable," answered a parson — 
 " Read it. The book contains all that is necessary 
 for salvation. It is clear and intelligible. Peruse 
 it with attention and in a spirit of humility, and God 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 219 
 
 will unfold to your heart the sense of his oracles. 
 He will teach you what things to do, and what to 
 avoid." 
 
 " I have read the book," observed Fugurundono, 
 u since you have placed it at my disposal, day after 
 day, and with all possible attention, actuated by a 
 strong desire to master its principles, and appreciate 
 its meaning ; but I find myself in a complete laby- 
 rinth. Sometimes I think I have made out a point, 
 when, often, the next passage overturns the founda- 
 tion on which I had hoped to erect my spiritual 
 citadel. Whatever positive and tangible knowledge 
 I have of the truths of Christianity, I have gathered 
 from conversations with Christian divines. The 
 book has solved none of my doubts, nay, it has 
 rather increased and multiplied them. I have 
 indeed read in it many sayings and doings of Jesus 
 and his Apostles, but ^at times they seem so con- 
 tradictory of each other, that I am utterly at a loss 
 to reconcile their substance. To gather from this 
 complicated, obscure and mysterious book, a sys- 
 tematic code of laws % a positive method of religion, 
 is more in my estimation than human skill or inge- 
 nuity can accomplish. And what is worse, every 
 one disclaims the right of aiding and assisting me in 
 my endeavors. I am told that I must read and 
 jii'lge for myself. And should I go astray, there is 
 
220 JUSTO 'TJCUNDONO. 
 
 none to set me right. Aid and guidance so highly 
 recommended, so readily proffered in other things, 
 is in this most important pursuit deprecated and 
 refused to me. 
 
 " I take up the constitution of a political body of 
 men, and I find a consistent system of positive 
 commands or prohibitions, set forth in the clearest 
 and most precise terms, which language can afford. 
 I can at once comprehend that which is commanded 
 and that which is prohibited. Not being satisfied, 
 however, with the explanation of the law here offered 
 me, I find that the lawgivers have moreover ap- 
 pointed tribunals and judges to decide on the spirit 
 and meaning of the law, and empowered them to 
 satisfy all doubts, and terminate all disputes that 
 may arise. No legislator has left his enactments to 
 the arbitrary interpretation of interested individuals. 
 All human ordinances have their commentaries and 
 their expositions, and nothing is left to the whim or 
 caprice of the people, no, not even in the most 
 democratic governments in the world. 
 
 " Here, however, I have the^most vague, intricate 
 system, which has ever been presented as a standard 
 of conduct for the observance of man, and it more- 
 over treats not of trifling, temporal concerns, but of 
 matters involving his deepest interest, that of his 
 eternal welfare, and he is afforded no judge or 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 221 
 
 tribunal, to assist him in discovering its real mean- 
 ing. He is, on the contrary, referred as an arbiter, 
 to his own feeble, fallible judgment, to determine, as 
 best it may, on this the greatest of all questions. 
 Is then human prudence more scrutinizing and acute 
 than Divine wisdom ? And is man more provident 
 than God? In this work, I met with some sen- 
 tences, which, at first appeared to be commands or 
 prohibitions, but which upon a nearer inspection 
 and more careful examination, prove to be neither 
 the one nor the other, and often the very contrary 
 of what they had at first seemed. One text 
 destroys that which a preceding one had laid down 
 as a foundation. Certain passages and expressions 
 are obscured in such a cloud of mystery, that the 
 most powerful intellect cannot succeed in discovering 
 their true sense. It is to me altogether inexplicable 
 that men should be so careful in providing adequate 
 exposition for human laws, and should yet maintain 
 that the intricate, eternal law of God needs neither 
 tribunal nor judge to expound it correctly, and can 
 safely be committed to the government of stupid 
 ignorance, or the instincts of blinded passion. The 
 immense number of Christian sects in attendance at 
 this Council, demonstrates the absolute necessity of 
 some tribunal to which appeal may be made, and whose 
 
 decision shall be conclusive, positive, and ultimate." 
 19* 
 
222 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 " It must indeed be admitted," said one of the 
 parsons, " that among the followers of the Saviour, 
 slight shades of difference on minor points of faith 
 and discipline exist; but we all fully agree, even to 
 a man, on those great fundamental points which it 
 sets forth, and act conformably thereto in doctrine 
 and practice." 
 
 " What do you understand by fundamental points ?" 
 asked Salmeron. "We learn, for instance," answered 
 the preacher, " from this book, that God is one in 
 nature, and three in persons. This we would term a 
 fundamental point." "You are quite mistaken in 
 your fundamental points," interrupted another par- 
 son, "by what right do you presume to define what 
 are, or what are not elementary dogmas of the Chris- 
 tian faith ? Contrary to your assertion, God is neces- 
 sarily one in nature and one in person. The holy vol- 
 ume does not, or could not contain such absurdities. 
 The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which you call per- 
 sons, are simply three distinct powers of the Deity, 
 and not persons." " I will give you an instance of 
 a fundamental article of faith," observed another, — 
 "Jesus Christ is God and man." "Your proof," 
 exclaimed a voice. "I and the Father are one," was 
 the ready reply. " But what of this other scriptural 
 point," returned the voice, — ' the Father is greater 
 than I.' "If there be a being greater than Jesus, 
 
X 
 
 THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 223 
 
 how do you make him out to be God ? God canfeave 
 no superior." " Whatever our minor differences may 
 be," observed a pious doctor, " we are all agreed as 
 to our opinion of the consoling dogma, that Jesus 
 came down from heaven to die for us all. Whatever 
 the dissimilarities in our respective modes of worship- 
 ping him upon earth, we are all filled with a perma- 
 nent joy in the knowledge that we all shall meet him 
 and each other in his heavenly kingdom." " You are 
 too charitable, friend," exclaimed a Calvinist. "It is 
 quite evident from scripture, that there are numbers 
 who will not partake of the great salvation ; they will 
 not share in the merits of the Redeemer; he has died 
 for all, but has destined some to do tribute to his jus- 
 tice in hell." " You mean his cruelty," interrupted 
 the deist; " for cruel assuredly must he be, if he has 
 created a human being for the purpose of ultimately 
 consigning him to eternal punishment." "Aye, away 
 with your hell," exclaimed a good-natured parson, 
 " that will do very well to affright women and chil- 
 dren, but to those who comprehend the all-preserving 
 doctrine of Jesus, such talking appears extremely 
 absurd. We know and feel that we shall all be saved 
 in the end." " Impious man," exclaimed several 
 voices. " You shall one day be made to feel those tor- 
 ments you now ridicule, for unless you be converted to 
 the Lord Jesus, hell must be your inevitable portion." 
 
224 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 i <*?Why," observed Triphon, "your fundamental 
 points seem to be quite unsettled. What conclusions 
 am I to form ? Whose opinion must I follow ? The 
 book is altogether passive. It permits me to embrace 
 either side or none at all. I must now think that the 
 book is not only an unsafe guide, but that it is the 
 sole and positive cause of many absurd and even 
 scandalous divisions, and were I a Christian, I would 
 at once denounce it, as an ensnaring tissue of falla- 
 cies, in fact, as a positive evil ; unless its spirit and 
 precepts be expounded to me by some competent 
 judge or tribunal." 
 
 " This is really too much," exclaimed a reverend 
 minister. " The good book is a positive cause of 
 evil ! I call on you to retract this insulting language. 
 What would become of so many communities of 
 Lutherans, Calvinists, Methodists and others, each 
 denomination numbering millions, had not the Bible 
 united these masses in one faith, one hope, one 
 baptism, and in short, one spiritual fraternity ? How 
 is this ? According to your assertions not any two 
 individuals should agree upon the same doctrinal 
 points, and upon the same manner of worship." 
 
 " Upon my honor," said Triphon, " such actually 
 would be the result, were you practically to abandon 
 yourselves to the exclusive guidance of the Bible. 
 Surely you do not think that I am so foolish as to 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 225 
 
 suppose that the Bible has made you a Lutheran, 
 your neighbour a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, 
 or a member of any other sect. No, no, it is not the 
 Bible that has united the various Christian denomina- 
 tions here represented, in certain articles of faith, 
 and systems of religious practice. Their faith was 
 already alive when they took up the Bible; which 
 they read for no other purpose than to find out 
 passages in it by which the belief and system they 
 already possessed might be vindicated and sustained. 
 Your fathers, mothers, and teachers, educational and 
 spiritual, have been your instructors in religion, as 
 well as in other matters. They had prepared the 
 soil of your hearts and minds to receive their own 
 peculiar doctrines, and views of practical religion ; 
 nay, more, they were already planted there long 
 before you were capable of reflection on these impor- 
 tant subjects. The Bible was indeed afterwards put 
 into your hands, not to plant or sow the seeds of 
 religion, but to cause them to spring from the pre- 
 viously cultivated soil, to grow, to strengthen, and 
 permanently to mature. Hence you were carefully 
 directed to peruse certain texts and passages, which 
 were calculated to strengthen the views which you 
 had been led to adopt ; whilst other portions of the 
 volume unfavorable to such views were carefully kept 
 beyond the range of your investigation. 
 
226 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 "Your pretensions then of following the Bible, 
 are a most solemn mockery. You are not guided by 
 the Bible, but the language therein is tortured by 
 Reverend instructors, to favor such sentiments and 
 views as are most conformable to their wishes. Pro- 
 fessions of faith, Creeds and Catechisms, are brought 
 into requisition to aid their disciples in establishing 
 their faith, and marking out the routine of action. 
 The Unitarian takes up the sacred volume, and reads 
 from it the dogma of Unitarianism, so likewise do 
 the Calvinist and the Methodist, each of them affirm- 
 ing on the same holy book, that in his opinions, 
 he alone is right, and all others differing from him, 
 wrong." "Now," continued Triphon, "if you each 
 believe in the all-sufficiency of the book to teach you 
 the way of serving God in a proper manner, why not 
 abide by it ? Why have recourse to so many other 
 means to gain instruction in the knowledge of the 
 Divine nature and law? If you doubt its suffi- 
 ciency, why not frankly confess it ? It is] dishonor- 
 able no less than inconsistent, to profess a series of 
 principles, and practise a number of actions, directly 
 at variance therewith." 
 
 "With what consistency then," remarked the 
 Jaco, " do these new Christian sects censure the 
 ancient Church for instructing her followers in a cer- 
 tain defined system of faith aad practice, a.nd for 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 227 
 
 expounding the Bible for them agreeably to that sys- 
 tem ? Is not this what they themselves do ? The 
 ancient Christians thus act from principle, and openly 
 avow it to the world. The moderns disclaim the 
 principle, and yet adopt the practice. All the 
 preaching and teaching and religious meetings and 
 conferences, have no other object in view, than to in- 
 still not by the Bible, but by word of mouth, their 
 own particular views and notions into the minds of 
 their hearers. The ministers of the Bible-Christians 
 are equally as authoritative in their method of teach- 
 ing, as are the ministers of the ancient faith. They 
 claim an equal right of being heard, nay their dicta- 
 tion is even more imperious. Now, if follow some 
 authority we must, whom is it the safest to believe, 
 one who teaches us in the name of the great universal 
 Church, and precisely the same matter which has 
 been taught for centuries by the best and greatest of 
 men, and which are at this moment taught by thou- 
 sands of the ablest divines, and received with implicit 
 faith and reverence by the wisest of intelligent 
 beings : or, on the other hand, to follow and receive 
 the lessons of every new and time-serving upstart, 
 clerical pretender, offering to our intellect and heart 
 his own peculiar innovations and vagaries, when he 
 himself is perhaps unable to unravel the meaning 
 of the sacred text, although he assumes the rank 
 
228 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 of a commentator ! I leave it to the Council to 
 determine." 
 
 " That the Messiah," said Justo, " when he planted 
 his kingdom on earth, did leave to mankind a guide, 
 by whose agency his eternal kingdom might be 
 reached and entered, is a truth, which all Christians 
 admit. The disputed question is, ' which is that guide' ? 
 The ancient Christians tell us, that it is the teaching 
 Church ; the moderns answer, it is the Bible. It is 
 our task to ascertain which of the two is the correct 
 authority. Reason will tell us that such a guide 
 must be, first of all, secure and never failing, that it 
 may infallibly lead every sincere inquirer into the 
 way of truth. Secondly, it must be universal, that 
 it may apply to all times and to all places, and be 
 adequate to the requirements of all people, under 
 whatever circunistances they be situated. Thirdly, 
 it must be within the reach of all. It must be infal- 
 lible, otherwise we could place no reliance in it. It 
 must be universal, else it would not embrace all who 
 need its counsel. It must be within the reach of all 
 for, if not, to some it would be useless. Now, if you, 
 the advocates of the Bible, can demonstrate to the 
 Council, that the guide you offer us is a reliable one, 
 an universal one, and a perpetual one, we shall 
 receive it with thankfulness, and follow it with 
 confidence. 
 
THE INADEQUACY OF THE BIBLE. 229 
 
 "Now that the merits of this book have been 
 discussed before you, it is expected from the candor 
 of this august Council, that they fearlessly declare 
 their convictions as to the efficacy of this book as a 
 guide for man to heaven. Does it find all the requi- 
 sites necessary for the fulfilment of this important 
 task, or has it any of them? Is it a safe guide?" 
 "No," the Council thundered forth. "It leads one 
 to adore Jesus as a God, another to revere him as a 
 simple man. Both cannot be in the right, one is 
 therefore deceived, and the guide is not safe. Does 
 it apply to all times and places, and is it adapted to 
 the necessities of all men?" "No," the Council 
 answered, " the unlearned cannot make use of it ; 
 but these constitute the great majority of the human 
 race." "Is it within the reach of all men?" "No," 
 was the emphatic answer. "The poor could not 
 obtain its aid in former ages, and yet in those days 
 there were, as now, souls to be saved. And for 
 many centuries it could not be obtained by the rich 
 or poor, for the simple reason that it was unknown 
 to the bulk of mankind. But should we possess the 
 means of profiting by it under the most favorable 
 circumstances, it could never direct us in the know- 
 ledge of God and of his sacred law. Now the 
 Almighty as a wise lawgiver and generous parent, 
 
 could not have bequeathed to man a guide so un- 
 
 20 
 
230 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 safe, so unprofitable, and so difficult of access, and 
 which even when possessed could be of no practical 
 use. Therefore the book which you have handed me 
 is not the guide granted us by God, to direct us in 
 the path of his eternal truth. We must look for it 
 elsewhere." 
 
 The great majority of the assembly received the 
 Prince's decision with much applause. " If the 
 author of Christianity," added Nobunango, "be 
 God, he must have foreseen the many disputes which 
 in the course of ages must be engendered among his 
 followers, and under this foresight, he was bound to 
 provide some accurate remedy by which they might 
 be allayed, some antidote by which their baneful con- 
 sequences might be neutralized. Now the book in 
 question, cannot by any possible supposition termi- 
 nate the difference of doctrinal opinion between 
 contending parties, for it is mute and passive, and 
 can be construed into a plausible voucher to endorse 
 any error or absurdity. Hence the Almighty could 
 never have intended that the book in question should 
 constitute the standard in controversies on an affair 
 so important, as is the eternal destiny of man. As 
 surely then as the author of Christianity is God, 
 there is some more definite guide to conduct us to 
 the mansion of truth and the regions of eternal life." 
 The Council now adjourned until the following day. 
 
PART III 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE TRUE GUIDE. 
 
 Opening of the Councils— seventh session. St. Francis Xavier 
 assists in its debates. Religion is propagated by preaching in 
 God's name. Apostolic witnesses of the works of Jesus. These 
 are competent and trustworthy, and the facts they relate, plain 
 and obvious. Promise of Jesus to establish a kingdom — fore- 
 told by Daniel — the common opinion amongst the people. He 
 prepares the world for the change. He educates his disciples 
 for their future employment. The kingdom was to be spiritual 
 — hence did he establish it after his mortal life was ended. He 
 proclaims its charter. He ascends into heaven. 
 
 The Council again met to enter upon its seventh 
 solemn session. It was distinguished by the pre- 
 sence of St. Francis Xavier, who had just arrived 
 from Firando with several young noblemen of that 
 place, among them Don Sebastian, son of a well 
 known sovereign of the adjacent country, and who 
 with the others had embraced the Christian faith. 
 Xavier, it may be remembered, was present at the 
 opening of the Council, but having been urgently 
 importuned by several of the neighboring cities of 
 the empire, to visit and preach to them his wonderful 
 
232 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 doctrine, which was now becoming famous through- 
 out Japan, he found himself compelled to discontinue 
 for a short time his attendance at the Council, to 
 fulfil this mission of love. His charitable compliance 
 met its due reward. He had baptized, since his 
 departure, several thousand idolaters with his own 
 hand, many of them belonging to the most dis- 
 tinguished families in the land. His presence ex- 
 cited the deepest interest. All were anxious to see, 
 hear and converse with a man, whose name had 
 become so familiar in the East. On returning, at 
 the opening of the present session, Justo offered him 
 a place amongst the princes of the blood, which he 
 modestly declined, preferring to be seated among his 
 brethren, the Doctors of the ancient faith. The 
 whole Council, with the exception of the Modern 
 Christians, were overjoyed at his arrival amongst 
 them, at this interesting stage of their proceedings ; 
 hoping to derive from his wisdom and experience 
 no inconsiderable aid in deciding the perplexing 
 question which now occupied their attention. They 
 knew him to be the most celebrated minister of Jesus 
 of Nazareth, whose divinity had been proved to them, 
 and whose law had been declared the revelation of 
 Heaven: They knew, moreover, that through his 
 means, several thousand pagans had been instructed 
 in the knowledge of Jesus and his law. They natu- 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE. 233 
 
 rally felt curiosity to ascertain by what means lie had 
 convinced so many people of the Divine truths, and 
 persuaded them to embrace the doctrine, and conform 
 to the rules and ordinances based thereupon. 
 
 "Tell us, great father," said the Jaco, addressing 
 himself to Xavier, " by what secret source have you 
 been enabled to impart to so many of our country- 
 men, the knowledge of the religion of Jesus of Naza- 
 reth, and yet more how you have induced them so 
 enthusiastically to adopt it?" 
 
 " That secret," answered Xavier, "has been known 
 for sixteen hundred years. I employ the same means 
 that Jesus himself used when instructing in person, 
 the people of Judea in the knowledge of the kingdom 
 of heaven, which he had come to bestow upon them. 
 The same instruments he bequeathed to all who 
 should thereafter teach in his name, and he has 
 rendered them equally efficacious in their^ employ, as 
 they were in his own. And ten thousand Japonians 
 baptized by these hands attest the virtue of the 
 means which I have used." 
 
 " What is meant by teaching in his name?" con- 
 tinued the Jaco. " To be sent by his authority, and 
 to teach the things which he has commanded to be 
 taught" — was the reply. " But all these ministers 
 assembled before us," answered the Jaco, " say that 
 
 they are sent by his authority, to teach the things 
 20* 
 
234 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 which he has commanded, and they inform us that 
 these things are contained in a book, from which we 
 are to gather them, calling it the great guide, which 
 all must follow. How shall we distinguish the one 
 who comes armed with authority from Jesus, from 
 another who comes without it ?" " In the same 
 manner," answered Xavier, " as you would discover 
 a true or false messenger from the Emperor ; namely, 
 by the examination of his credentials." " But the 
 Emperor liveth," returned the Jaco, "ready to pro- 
 vide his ambassador with credentials, and to testify 
 to his character." " The Emperor," answered 
 Xavier, "may furnish these credentials either in 
 person or by means of the government, established 
 by him, and acting under his authority, and in his 
 name. So may Jesus testify to the character of his 
 minister, either by clothing him with extraordinary 
 powers, to prove the celestial nature of his mission, 
 that is, such as may enable him to perform miracles 
 which it is not in the power of mere man to accom- 
 plish ; or, he may do the same indirectly by bestow- 
 ing the necessary authority on the spiritual kingdom 
 which he has established upon the earth." 
 
 "Your answer is just and plausible," said the 
 Jaco, " and if you can show to our satisfaction that 
 Jesus of Nazareth has really commissioned men to 
 teach his law, then the great question will have been 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE. 235 
 
 settled, and our difficulties removed. We shall then 
 know which is the guide we have to follow." 
 
 " The fact of the establishment of this spiritual 
 kingdom amongst mankind," answered Xavier, " its 
 nature and character, its end and object, may be 
 ascertained with the same ease and certainty, by 
 which we satisfy ourselves of the fact of the estab- 
 lishment of the Japonian Empire, and the character 
 of its government. The basis upon which rests 
 our knowledge of either is the public fact, of such 
 having taken place before the eyes of the world, and 
 thereby being a legitimate subject of history. Each 
 of these great bodies had an extraordinary founder, 
 who spoke and acted in the face of day. Their say- 
 ings and doings were witnessed by thousands, and 
 recorded by cotemporary historians, themselves per- 
 fectly conversant and familiar with the occurrences 
 they relate. 
 
 " The biographers of Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew, 
 Mark, Luke and John, were pre-eminently competent 
 and trustworthy witnesses of the facts which they 
 have recorded of him. For years, they were his 
 intimate friends and daily companions. They ate 
 and drank with him at the same table, walked and 
 conversed with him in the most familiar terms. Jesus 
 was open and confiding, he kept nothing concealed 
 from his disciples. Hence, they were informed of 
 
236 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 all his views and projects, in which themselves were 
 most deeply concerned. They consequently had 
 every facility of becoming acquainted with those 
 things which they have recorded of him, and there- 
 fore are most competent witnesses. They are, more- 
 over, highly trustworthy. When they wrote, their 
 master was no more. He had been condemned by 
 the tribunals of his country, and executed by the 
 decree of her people in a most ignominious manner. 
 The greater part of his nation had rejected him. It 
 was considered shameful and criminal to belong to his 
 party. All his followers were threatened with death. 
 To deny him was an infallible means of securing per- 
 sonal safety. His abandoned and forlorn disciples 
 could therefore have no earthly motive in vindi- 
 cating the character of their fallen master, but the 
 impulse of conviction and the love of truth. Hence, 
 they are not only competent, but as I have said, 
 highly trustworthy witnesses. 
 
 " The facts which they relate are of a simple and 
 obvious kind, easily comprehended by the meanest 
 understanding, and ascertained by the most ordinary 
 observation. They are narrated, moreover, in an 
 artless and unaffected manner, which at once pre- 
 cludes the slightest suspicion of an interest to 
 deceive, or of a possibility of being deceived. Here 
 then we have four competent and trustworthy wit- 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE. 237 
 
 nesses, relating incidents which are entirely within 
 the range of their comprehension and observation. 
 If then there be truth in history, their testimony is 
 conclusive and infallible. 
 
 " Let it be remembered that Jesus of Nazareth 
 has proved himself to be a God, or one, acting in 
 his name and by his authority, divinely inspired. 
 Then whatever he promised, he must have intended, 
 for God cannot deceive, and whatever he intended, 
 he had the power to fulfil, for God is omnipotent." 
 
 " Unquestionably true," observed the Jaco, " but 
 here lies the important point. What is it that he 
 really has promised concerning the spiritual kingdom 
 and the guide, that should conduct us thereto, and 
 how has this promise been redeemed?" "You 
 may gather all," answered Xavier, " even to the 
 minutest circumstance from his biographers, whose 
 character as creditable witnesses has been established, 
 I hope, to the satisfaction of the most fastidious 
 critic. From them we gather, in substance, that 
 Jesus of Nazareth was a man (if mere man he was,) 
 powerful in word and deed. That at about the age 
 of thirty, he announced himself as a public teacher 
 who had come from God, clothed with extraordinary 
 power to effect the great work of the world's reform- 
 ation. To aid him in the execution of this great 
 task, he gathered around him a few trustworthy 
 
238 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 friends. To those he freely communicated the great 
 plans he had formed to accomplish the important 
 event for which he had been sent to the earth. 
 The principal of these plans was, to establish on 
 earth a spiritual empire, whose boundaries should be 
 its limits, and whose duration, its continuance. 
 
 "This, his intention, he makes known to his 
 disciples on every public occasion, in the most 
 solemn and formal manner. He tells them that he 
 has come down from heaven with the avowed pur- 
 pose of founding a spiritual body, which sometimes 
 he terms kingdom, and at other times church. The 
 following is an instance of one of these public 
 avowals. Having publicly tested the quality of the 
 materials, of which this body was to be composed, he 
 solemnly declares in presence of his assembled 
 disciples, addressing himself to the future governor 
 of this intended spiritual empire. " Thou art Peter, 
 that is a rock ; and upon this rock I will build my 
 church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against it." Matt. ch. xvi. v. 18. Here is the pur- 
 pose of a God announced, in the clearest language. 
 
 " Now to revert to a former proposition, God must 
 mean that which he says, for he cannot lie or deceive. 
 And he has the power of executing his intention and 
 assertion, since he is all-powerful. Therefore, a 
 spiritual kingdom was to be founded on earth by 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE. 239 
 
 Jesus of Nazareth. It was to be founded on a rock, 
 then, it must be firm and unshaken. The gates of 
 hell were not to prevail against it — then it was to 
 continue for ever unimpaired, always existing in 
 accordance with the intention with which it was 
 created. 
 
 " The announcement of the design of founding an 
 empire whose duration should be eternal, when made 
 by Jesus, was not an unexpected act, and did not 
 take the world by surprise. It had been prepared 
 for such an event for many centuries. The prophet 
 Daniel had long before predicted its occurrence. 
 Daniel was an instrument of the Most High God, and 
 was believed by all men to speak in his name, and 
 to act under his authority. The following are his 
 precise words upon this subject, they explain them- 
 selves : * But, in the days of these kingdoms, the 
 God of heaven will set up a kingdom, that shall 
 never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be 
 delivered up to another people, and it shall break 
 into pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, 
 and itself shall stand forever. ' Dan. chap. ii. v. 44. 
 This prophecy concerning this future kingdom, 
 Jesus, as we have seen, literally reiterates several 
 centuries later. Hence the creation and establish- 
 ment of the spiritual empire must have occupied the 
 attention of the eternal council for many ages ; and 
 
240 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 hence must have been a matter of high importance 
 both to God and man. 
 
 " The prediction of Daniel indicates even more 
 minutely than the announcement of Jesus himself, 
 the nature and the object of its establishment. It 
 is, that a kingdom will be founded by God — the God 
 of heaven will set up a kingdom. This kingdom is 
 to last forever, which shall never be destroyed. It 
 is, instituted for the benefit of all, hence all must 
 enter it, since it, only, will afford safety. " It shall 
 break into pieces, and shall consume all these king- 
 doms, and itself shall stand forever." Truly so, for 
 if it is to break into pieces, and consume all other 
 kingdoms, it must necessarily in itself replace them 
 until the end of time, they being passed away never 
 again to return. 
 
 " That Jesus had come expressly to establish a 
 kingdom on earth was the common belief of his 
 cotemporaries, and more especially of his disciples. 
 It was the current topic of their daily conversations, 
 the great object of their hopes and aspirations ; nay, 
 I might add of their ambition, for they openly dis- 
 puted concerning the rank they were severally to 
 hold in the future kingdom. And the mother of 
 two of them, with a mother's natural desire to 
 advance the interests of her children, even petitioned 
 the Saviour on behalf of her sons, for the two most 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE. 241 
 
 distinguished places in his future kingdom. This 
 fact, indeed, proves that the nature of his kingdom 
 was at the time but badly understood, but it proves, 
 also, that the persuasion of the fact of its establish- 
 ment was withaUfirm and universal. 
 
 " To prepare the world for the organization of his 
 kingdom ; to gather the materials with which it was 
 to be composed, and to qualify his disciples for the 
 special stations which they were to maintain in it ; 
 formed, for three years, the sole employment of his 
 public life, and constituted the main objects of his 
 teachings. He denounced the then impious condition 
 of society throughout the world ; he convinced it of 
 the existence and the wickedness of its manifold sins. 
 He demonstrated the absolute necessity of the change 
 and reformation, which he was about to introduce 
 into the law, its ordinances, but more especially its 
 practices. Gathering around him, into a kind of 
 community, a number of faithful disciples, he became 
 possessed of the necessary material to aid in the 
 accomplishment of his great work. He carefully 
 instructed them in the knowledge of the great part 
 which they were to act in the new kingdom, and 
 frankly acquainted them with the onerous duties 
 attached to the fulfilment of this great trust. If the 
 comparison be allowed, they were much after the 
 
 fashion of a newlv peopled territory, governed by 
 
 21 
 
242 JUSTO UCONBONO. 
 
 temporary laws, until a definite form of government, 
 and explicit constitution could be obtained. 
 
 " The kingdom being of a spiritual kind, the 
 Saviour did not choose to proclaim its constitution 
 and form of government during his life on earth ; 
 but postponed it until after his death, when he should 
 have entered into a spiritual state of existence, the 
 full developement of its several parts, that they 
 might, when the time should have arrived, the better 
 understand its nature, object and end. His death 
 for the human race, was the last act of his mortal 
 life. By it, like a skilful financier, he accumulated 
 and established a never-failing source of revenue for 
 the treasury of the new empire. His disciples knew 
 that at the moment of his death the great work had not 
 been accomplished and perpetuated. They expected 
 his return from the abode of the dead. He had 
 repeatedly told them, during his life, that three days 
 after this should take place, he would return to them, 
 to complete the great work which he had begun. 
 Accordingly, on the third day, he rises from his tomb, 
 and again stands among them, whole and unimpaired, 
 as before his death. He ate and drank and con- 
 versed with them, in the same friendly and familiar 
 manner as in the days gone by. But his influence 
 and authority over them were now unlimited, for, by 
 his resurrection from the tomb, he redeemed all the 
 
THE TKUE GUIDE. 243 
 
 pledges and promises which he had ever made them. 
 Formerly, they had believed him to be a God, but 
 now they were eye-witnesses of the fact : hence all 
 that he uttered or performed was to them positive 
 and infallible authority. 
 
 " Under these circumstances, he began to instruct 
 them in a more special and minute manner, regarding 
 the present and the future government of the spiritual 
 kingdom of which they were to be the earthly rulers 
 and directors. To their supervision, the body of the 
 great empire was to be consigned. They were to be 
 its guardians and defenders, as well as the expounders 
 of its charter, constitution and laws. For the proper 
 fulfilment of these arduous labors, it was necessary 
 that they should possess a thorough knowledge of the 
 nature and object of the new empire, and of the 
 powers and privileges that were to appertain to it. 
 To effect this important object, the newly arisen 
 Saviour devoted forty days and forty nights. And 
 when he had accomplished this great task, he 
 appointed Mount Olivet as a place of general ren- 
 dezvous, where at a stated time his apostles were to 
 assemble. There he is to address them for the last 
 time on earth. There they are to receive his last 
 will and testament. There the constitution of the 
 new empire, and the charter defining their privileges, 
 and enumerating their rights and duties, is to be 
 
244 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 solemnly proclaimed. There, then, they receive their 
 commission and appointment, which, by themselves 
 and their successors, they are to exercise for ages. 
 The solemn moment has now come, when the pre- 
 diction, made by Daniel, centuries before, and the 
 pledge given by Jesus to his apostles, of forming a 
 kingdom is to be publicly redeemed. Standing now 
 on the holy mount, in the midst of his disciples, he 
 addresses them in this solemn strain : ' Behold, all 
 power has been given to me, in heaven and on earth, 
 going therefore, teach ye all nations : baptizing them 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things, 
 whatsoever I have commanded you ; and behold, I am 
 with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
 world.' Matthew, chap. xxvi. v. 18, 19. Then, lifting 
 up his hands, he blessed them ; blessed the infant 
 church; and in the sight of her earthly guardians, 
 ascended above them into the heavens. 
 
 " By this solemn act of Jesus of Nazareth, arisen 
 from the dead, the promised kingdom has been 
 established ; its nature and power, duties and obliga- 
 tions, ends and objects, clearly and distinctly defined. 
 The very charter he grants does itself describe the 
 character, powers and duties of this empire. It is 
 genuine, it is true, and intended to be that which it 
 professes; for its author is one to whom has been 
 
THE TKUE GUIDE. 245 
 
 given all power in heaven and in earth. But. he that 
 has all power can accomplish all things, and thus 
 sustain his creation, an.d verify his promises. He is 
 a God, who can neither deceive, nor be deceived. He 
 will therefore perform that which he has asserted, 
 and nought can hinder him therefrom." 
 
 21* 
 
216 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 
 
 The Charter comprises the nature, power, privileges and duties 
 of the spiritual kingdom — By it constituted One,- Holy, Cath- 
 olic, Apostolic, Perpetual and Infallible — The Apostles are to 
 teach all nations, of all countries, during all time — This they 
 fulfil by their successors — Infallibility in their corporate, not 
 individual capacity — The Church is the universal guide of men 
 of every time and clime — Xavier's recapitulation — Address of 
 Justo. 
 
 "You have assured us," said the Jaco, " that the 
 Charter which Jesus gave to his kingdom and her 
 spiritual princes, before ascending into heaven, con- 
 tains and expresses the nature and object of the one, 
 and the privileges and duties of the other. We feel 
 deeply anxious that these should be explained to us." 
 
 "Unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity," 
 replied Xavier, " are the characteristics of its nature. 
 They are clearly contained in, and may be distinctly 
 deduced from the Charter. Infallibility is its power, 
 indefectibility its privilege, and teaching its duty ; 
 all of which are comprehended therein. ' All power 
 has been given me' — hence, he could make the 
 charter such as he wished it to be. Now, what is 
 its first article ? ' Go, and teach !' By this the 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 247 
 
 duties of the kingdom are defined. Now, this sup- 
 poses persons to teach, things to be taught, and 
 people to be instructed. 'Go, and teach all nations.' 
 Here are the teachers, and those to be taught, 
 namely, all nations : ' Go and teach all nations, 
 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
 have commanded you.' Here, then, are expressly 
 detailed those points which constitute the first part 
 of the charter. Hence, it follows that, in nature, 
 the teachers must be one ; the things to be delivered 
 one ; and the people to be taught one. Hence, the 
 first characteristic of the kingdom, unity. The 
 apostles are here constituted the teachers, and they 
 must be one, since each of them is to teach that 
 which they all teach. 
 
 " Again : The things to be delivered are one. 
 For though Peter teaches all things that are to be 
 taught, and John and James do likewise, and that 
 which they do teach is to be taught by them separa- 
 tely, yet than this, none is permitted to do less, nor 
 can any do more ; hence there can be no variety in 
 the substance to be delivered. There can be neither 
 a greater nor less quantity of substance to be deliv- 
 ered ; hence perfect unity throughout must follow. 
 The people to be instructed are also one, or at least 
 to be made one thereby. The apostles are the 
 teachers, and all nations their scholars. 'Go and 
 
218 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 teach all nations V And what are they to be taught? 
 'All things commanded.' From the obligation of 
 the apostles to teach, there arises a corresponding 
 obligation on the part of the nations to listen and 
 to learn that which they preach to them, which is 
 ' all things commanded.' Then Europe is to hearken 
 unto and learn all things, and so likewise are Asia, 
 Africa and America. But if each of these divisions 
 is to learn all things, none being omitted, then must 
 they all acquire precisely the same knowledge, none 
 of them being cognizant of more than are the others. 
 Hence perfect unity must exist among the inhabi- 
 tants of these four great quarters of the globe, as 
 regards their views and conceptions of the truths of 
 Christianity. The apostles were not instructed by 
 their master to teach a portion of the things he had 
 commanded to the Asiatics, and another portion to 
 the Europeans, but all things to all nations. Nor 
 did he command Peter to teach this doctrine, and 
 John another different one. No. All were to teach 
 all things commanded to all nations. Hence there 
 is, by virtue of the great charter, perfect unity in 
 every thing bestowed upon the kingdom. 
 
 " And now, what are the disciples to teach ? All 
 things commanded by Jesus: hence sound religion 
 and good morals. Jesus is the son of the God of truth 
 and sanctity, the holy one of Israel : but the God 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 249 
 
 of truth and of sanctity could not command errors 
 to be diffused, or bad counsels to be promulgated. 
 Therefore the Church is necessarily holy. She can 
 neither teach nor tolerate error or wickedness, but is 
 bound to reprobate and condemn both. 
 
 " Then, again, the kingdom is Catholic or Uni- 
 versal : 'Go and teach all nations.' No nation is 
 here exempted. The Greek and Barbarian, the 
 Jew and Gentile, the inhabitants of each quarter of 
 the globe, not only those living, but of all time to 
 come, are all included. Therefore the kingdom is 
 universal, embracing within the limits of its juris- 
 diction absolutely all peoples, all tongues and all 
 climes, not only of this day, but of all future ages. 
 
 "It is, moreover, apostolic, since the apostles 
 alone are to be its teachers ; for to none but them 
 is it said ' Go and teach.' The apostles, then, were 
 to begin, to continue and to end the teaching." 
 
 "I can understand," said the Jaco, "how it is 
 that the apostles should have begun the teaching, 
 and that they should have continued it for some 
 time ; but how are they to end it, having long since 
 departed from the scene of their mortal labors ? 
 Surely instruction is still going on, and yet they are 
 no more. We know that they did not actually teach 
 all nations, for the good reason that all nations had 
 not as yet come into being, and many have been 
 
250 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 discovered since their death, whilst others have 
 sprung into existence, which were not in their time. 
 This characteristic, therefore, of apostolicity, which 
 you endeavor to infer from the charter, has no 
 foundation in fact." 
 
 "And yet," answered Xavier, "the charter which 
 Jesus gave to his kingdom, is and must forever 
 remain true. The characteristics appertaining to 
 it, no less than its powers and duties, must ever 
 be such as they were when it was first bestowed, 
 and as such must forever continue to be as long 
 as lasts the kingdom itself. In that charter the 
 task of teaching has been assigned to the Apostles ; 
 for to them only it is said, ' Go, and teach.' The 
 Apostles then must teach to the end. Hence the 
 teaching of the new kingdom is and always will 
 be Apostolic. To them only is it said, < teach all 
 nations.' Every nation then of the present and 
 future times is to be taught by an Apostle. To 
 them alone is it said s 'teaching them to observe all 
 things, whatsoever I have commanded you.' All 
 the commands and ordinances of Jesus are then to 
 be taught by an Apostle; and by no one else. 
 
 "From this however it does not follow, that the 
 Apostles are to perform this duty personally. It 
 may be done either by themselves or by their suc- 
 cessors. The charter is given not to individuals, 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 251 
 
 but to a body ; to the Apostolic College. Hence the 
 powers, privileges and duties emanating therefrom, 
 appertain to them not as the isolated disciples of 
 Jesus, but as collective members of this spiritual 
 body. As such they are one Holy, Catholic and 
 Apostolic. And as such they are required to teach 
 all things unto all nations. What Peter and Paul 
 therefore could not accomplish in their life-time, 
 Linus and Clement did. And what these could not 
 finish, is completed by others. The Apostolic Col- 
 lege is always the same, though the members com- 
 posing it be different and ever changing. The 
 prerogatives are inherent in the body, not in the 
 individual members. Peter died, and John died, 
 but Unity, Holiness and Catholicity did not die 
 with them, but remained with the others, ever con- 
 stituting the component elements of the immortal 
 league. In this manner were many hundreds re- 
 ceived during the lifetime of the Apostles, becoming 
 ipso facto, Apostolic teachers, since in virtue of their 
 union with the spiritual kingdom, they were included 
 in all the privileges granted in the Apostolic charter. 
 The first Apostles disappeared one after the other, 
 but the Apostleship remained. Their places were 
 filled by others, and these in turn were succeeded, 
 until the present day. And now they are the same 
 body, possessing the same powers, and gifted with 
 
252 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 the same privileges, having yet the same task to 
 perform as had the original twelve who received the 
 charter on Mount Olivet from the hands of Jesus." 
 
 "Your explanation is lucid and satisfactory," 
 observed the Jaco, " nay, the proposition which you 
 have stated concerning the Apostolic succession, 
 is a necessary and inductive consequence of the 
 examination of the premises already acknowledged. 
 Are we to understand however, from this solution, 
 that any member separating, himself, or being sepa- 
 rated from this Apostolic College, thereby loses all 
 the powers and prerogatives conferred by Jesus upon 
 that institution, and necessarily ceases to be a 
 subject of the great empire established by him ; or 
 that such as have never united themselves,, or been 
 identified with this Apostolic College, have no claim 
 to the exercise of the rights or prerogatives con- 
 tained in the Charter?" 
 
 "You have formed," answered Xavier, "a true 
 conception of the awful consequences resulting from 
 isolation from the Apostolic College. -The moment 
 they become separated from it, they forfeit all the 
 privileges of the charter ; since they are no longer 
 of the number of those over whom it extends. Nor 
 can any enjoy the privileges of the same, till they 
 shall have been incorporated within its folds. None 
 outside this body have then the right to teach the 
 
CHAKACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 253 
 
 religion of the Saviour, for he never commanded 
 them, saying, 'go, and teach.' They are not one, 
 nor Holy, nor Catholic, for they acknowledge not 
 the Charter, nor does the Church recognize them. 
 And no one is bound, or even permitted to listen to 
 them, since no one has vouched for the truth of their 
 doctrine. Jesus has said to the Apostolic College 
 only, ' behold, I am with you,' and not with such as 
 teach independent of his institution." 
 i "From this Apostolicity," continued Xavier, 
 " arises that glorious feature of Perpetuity. The 
 Apostolic College is to teach all nations, present and 
 to come. As soon as a nation, tribe, or individual, 
 comes into existence, that nation or individual is to 
 be taught by the Apostolic College. Therefore, that 
 College, with its teaching powers, must remain, so 
 long as there are people to be taught. But as long 
 as the world exists, new nations and new people will 
 be entering the stage of life ; hence, as a necessary 
 consequence of the condition by which it has been 
 established, the College v must remain as long as the 
 world itself shall last, and its duties will cease only 
 when the youngest child of Adam, that shall appear 
 on earth, shall have been instructed. 
 
 " Thus the first part of the Charter makes the king- 
 dom of the Messiah, one, holy, Catholic, Apostolic 
 
 and perpetual. But the great moving power, the 
 
 22 
 
254 JUSTO TJCONDONO. 
 
 life and soul of the empire, the efficient principle of 
 its action, is comprised in the concluding part of the 
 Charter, and expressed by those memorable words, 
 1 behold, I am with you all days, even to the consum- 
 mation of time.' By this endowment, the whole 
 work is stamped with the seal of infallibility, and it 
 renders the Apostolic College pre-eminently Divine. 
 This is the great consummation of the Divine mis- 
 sion, and the concluding step of the organization of 
 the spiritual kingdom. Without it, much would have 
 been wanting to forward the object for which it was 
 created. With it, it stands omnipotent, for the ac- 
 complishment of all its ends and purposes. In this 
 instance, He who speaks is an omnipotent God, 
 ' All power is his in heaven and in earth :' He is 
 then able fully to redeem his words, and as he can 
 neither deceive nor be deceived, he must purpose 
 doing, and necessarily will do, that which he has 
 promised. Now what does he actually pledge himself 
 to do? In the most solemn manner, he declares 
 that he will be with his disciples, with the Apostolic 
 College, teaching, * all days, even till the consumma- 
 tion of- the world." Such is the solemn declaration 
 of a God, who can do all things. In the first place, 
 he is to be with his disciples while teaching ; aiding 
 and comforting them in the execution of their 
 arduous duty, and hence, those who receive the 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 255 
 
 Divine assistance must necessarily teach infallibly — 
 then the disciples whom he has^eent to teach all 
 things, teach with infallible certainty. But how 
 long is he to be with them, affording them aid and 
 comfort ? Until the consummation of the world. 
 Then, the disciples are, in the second place, to teach 
 at all times, till the last day of the world. They 
 must, moreover, teach all nations. Then they must 
 teach in all places where there are people dwell- 
 ing. Again, they are to teach all nations all things 
 whatsoever have been commanded. Then Jesus, in 
 order that his promise may be fully redeemed, must 
 aid them in the teaching of each and every thing 
 provided for in the spiritual constitution. Now, 
 whosoever teaches always in all places all, things 
 commanded, under Divine direction, and by Divine 
 assistance, teaches necessarily with absolute infalli- 
 bility ; therefore the Apostolic College, the great 
 guide we have to follow, teaches at all times, in all 
 places, with infallible certainty, all things com- 
 manded. And for the same reasons, this Apostolic 
 College, having God for its preceptor, can, at no 
 time, in no place, under no circumstances, teach to 
 any human being erroneous doctrines, or inculcate 
 bad morals. Here then is the great infallible guide 
 that will conduct us into the kingdom of the Messiah. 
 " Reason itself teaches that such a guide should be 
 
256 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 infallible, as otherwise it would be useless to man. 
 The guide is to instruct all nations in all things re- 
 garding their dearest interest. Then are all nations to 
 receive its teaching, and act according to the same. 
 For when Jesus commanded the Apostles to teach, 
 he required the nations to hear, and receive their 
 teaching with implicit confidence. But how could 
 God compel me to hear and obey the teaching of one 
 who may himself have been deceived, and conse- 
 quently be deceiving others ? This is a proposition 
 inconsistent with reason, since a just i3rod could 
 never have exacted homage so degrading from 
 intelligent beings. The guide, therefore, which he 
 has directed us to follow, whose counsel we are to 
 obey, is necessarily and absolutely infallible, and 
 thus we can rely upon it with perfect safety. 
 
 " This infallibility, however, like the other privi- 
 leges possessed by the teaching church, applies to 
 her, not in her individual, but corporate capacity. 
 For she received the charter of her rights, powers 
 and privileges, from the hands of her Divine 
 Founder, — as a body, and not as a person. Be- 
 cause, Jesus did not say to John personally ' go and 
 teach,' and 'behold I am with you all days,' &c. ; nor 
 to James specially, nor to Matthew. He addressed 
 himself to them collectively, as a body into which he 
 had previously united them. Then as a body they 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 257 
 
 received whatever power or privileges were conferred 
 upon them bj the charter of their institution. Hence 
 it follows that though individual members of this 
 corporate body may at times go astray, and that if 
 they have done so, yet the apostolic body itself can 
 never wander from its legitimate duties. As an 
 united conclave, the Apostolic College itself can 
 never go astray. As a body, the teaching Church 
 cannot instil false doctrines, or countenance bad 
 morals, since the Almighty himself stands pledged 
 to prevent it. As a whole, the instructing Church, 
 the guide to the kingdom of heaven, is the immediate 
 work of God, instituted by him to effect the most 
 weighty ends, which could never be realized without 
 the attribute of infallibility. Hence it becomes the 
 affair of God himself. He must sustain the result of 
 his own labor, — and, under no -possible supposition, 
 can he abandon it, or allow the guide instituted by 
 himself, to lead men astray. It is true that the 
 instruction is practically imparted by individuals; 
 but those individuals teach, in the name and by the 
 authority, the identical doctrine of the Apostolic 
 College. Now, so long as they teach in this manner, 
 they teach infallibly, since it is the teaching of the 
 body corporate itself. But when they attempt to 
 instruct in their own name, and in conformity with 
 
 their own individual views, at that moment the 
 
 22* 
 
258 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 heavenly spirit is gone, and they cease to be infal- 
 lible guides." 
 
 "I have now," continued Xavier, "explained to 
 you the great charter of the kingdom established by 
 Jesus of Nazareth. It is the invaluable guide be- 
 queathed to man on earth, to conduct him safely into 
 the regions of heaven. I shall briefly recapitulate 
 its principal features, that you may the more readily 
 perceive the divinity of its character, and thus be 
 impelled to act in accordance with its instructions — 
 'Go and teach all nations.' It has the privilege of 
 teaching all nations, and teaching them all things 
 commanded, with the same infallible success with 
 which. Jesus taught when on earth; for he says, 
 ' behold I am with you till the consummation of the 
 world.' And all nations are consequently bound to 
 hear this guide with the same deference with which 
 they would hear Jesus Christ himself were he to 
 return to the earth. And any one refusing to hear 
 this guide, refuses to hear his Saviour. This body is 
 to instruct the people of all ages, and of all coun- 
 tries, in each and every thing connected with their 
 spiritual welfare; and this is its duty, not for a 
 season, but until the consummation of the world. 
 
 "Thus the whole world, at present and in the 
 future is embraced under the jurisdiction of this 
 Almighty institution, under this one, holy, Catholic, 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUIDE. 259 
 
 Apostolic, perpetual and infallible College, or teach- 
 ing ministry. This body is by far the most import- 
 ant that ever has, or ever will appear upon the earth. 
 It is for this institution alone, that kingdoms and 
 nations exist. To aid the Church in accomplishing 
 the designs of Heaven, "empires rise and fall, nations 
 appear and disappear from the face of the world. 
 As soon as the destiny of God's spiritual empire 
 shall be accomplished, at that moment, the world will 
 undoubtedly cease to be." 
 
 "Great priest of the Almighty," exclaimed Prince 
 Justo, " your doctrine is worthy of the God of the 
 Christians. How intelligible, how secure, how logi- 
 cal are the principles on which are based the dogmas 
 which you avow and expound. Surely, if the God 
 of Nature has designed to instruct man, this is the 
 doctrine which our hearts and minds tell us he would 
 have established. Heaven has undoubtedly sent you 
 amongst us to dispel our errors, and terminate our 
 protracted difficulties. The principles upon which 
 the modern Christians have proposed to work, seem, 
 even to our uncultivated minds, to consist in the 
 advocacy of* division, dissolution and destruction. 
 The book which they hand us as a never-failing 
 guide to eternal safety, is incomprehensible to our 
 judgment, and the uncertainty and doubt attached 
 to its passages are aggravated by the fact, that we 
 
260 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 are forbidden the aid of a tutor and interpreter, and 
 are told to trust to the promptings of common sense, 
 when it is palpably unequal to such a task. Such a 
 theory "would necessarily cause doubt and division, 
 and ultimate ruin even amongst the angels of God. 
 And the heterogeneous condition of the elements of 
 this new Christianity attest the unsoundness of the 
 bases on which it has been wrought. 
 
 "But how beautiful and sublime the principle you 
 hold forth to us as the basis of the Apostolic Church. 
 How consonant with the nature of God, how con- 
 formable to the character of his operations ! God is 
 one ! And this wonderful feature of unity pervades 
 every province of the universe. One sun rules the 
 day : one moon presides ever the night : one supreme 
 power directs and governs all the heavenly bodies ! 
 And yet the influence of that one principle is at the 
 same time universal, extending itself to the meanest 
 as well as to the highest objects in nature, at all times, 
 and in all places. Such is the principle you offer as 
 the basis of the teaching church, instructing by the 
 authority of God. It is one, infallible and universal ; 
 hence necessarily conservative, like God its author — 
 comprehensible alike to the acute and stolid under- 
 standing, and fully equal to the necessities of all. 
 We have before us the sublime spectacle of men 
 congregated together* from the extremities of the 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UUIDE. 261 
 
 earth, differing in birth, language, education, man- 
 ners, prejudices and nationality, and in other respects 
 so widely separated as scarcely to have the semblance 
 of a common race. Yet in their belief in the dogmas 
 of faith, and in their conviction of the rules of prac- 
 tical morality, they are all sympathetically one, — 
 firm in the persuasion of their common creed, and 
 attesting, the sincerity of their opinions by the 
 actions of their daily lives. It is indeed a sight 
 ■worthy of the great Creator. And it is but the 
 application of the principle you have urged, the 
 doctrine of the Almighty himself." 
 
262 JUSTO UCONDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 
 
 The Charter is confirmed on Pentecost. Inauguration of the 
 Church. Luke's version thereof. We find it, on this occasion, 
 to be One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible and Perpetual. 
 All nations represented in Jerusalem, at the time of this great 
 event. The first teaching of the Apostles. Their first converts. 
 The first Council of the Church — a model for future ages. All 
 subsequent Councils have acted in a similar manner. The 
 Apostles preach the Gospel in different countries. They ap- 
 point assistants, successors and ministers of the word. Their 
 Judicial powers exercised on other occasions. 
 
 "I rejoice exceedingly, great Prince," answered 
 Xavier, " that you have so well understood, and so 
 correctly appreciated the great institution, established 
 by Jesus of Nazareth in behalf of the human race. 
 But you have contemplated it only in the abstract. 
 Let us now more closely inspect it, and view its 
 practical working. Hitherto we have only seen the 
 outer walls of this magnificent structure. We shall 
 now enter its very sanctuary, and stand in the holy 
 of holies. 
 
 " The Church was now founded. The Charter 
 had been granted. Its powers, prerogative, and 
 duties had been accurately defined. The Executive 
 had been appointed. But as yet it had not gone into 
 
CONFIRMATION OE THE CHARTER. 263 
 
 operation. Like the subject of Ezechiel's vision, it 
 was waiting, that the Spirit of God should breathe 
 upon it. Jesus had withdrawn from his disciples. 
 They were melancholy and sorrowful orphans ; a for- 
 lorn flock, no longer gladdened by the visible presence 
 of its shepherd. It was now time that their master 
 should redeem his promise of sending to them that 
 salutary and invigorating balm, the spirit of truth, 
 which was henceforth to abide with them for ever. 
 This he did, when the days of the Pentecost were 
 fulfilled, in a most solemn and impressive manner. 
 " The Pentecost commemorated the promulgation 
 of , the ancient law on the heights of Sinai. It was 
 a fit occasion to confirm and ratify the charter of the 
 new law, and solemnly to inaugurate the governors 
 of the new kingdom. This was done amid the har- 
 monious sounds and- the propitious winds of heaven. 
 On this day Jesus of Nazareth stamped his work 
 with the seal of his Divinity. From this hour the 
 Church dates her birth, and begins to exercise her 
 functions and powers. Consequently, on this day 
 must we find her, what she was to be, what she now 
 is, and what she shall continue to be until the termi- 
 nation of ages. But she must be, as we have said, 
 One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible and Per- 
 petual. Let us see if such she was on the day of 
 Pentecost. 
 
264 JUSTO UCOND0NO. 
 
 " Luke, the first historian of the Church, though 
 not an eye-witness of the events of this sacred 
 festival, was a cotemporary and familiar friend of 
 eye-witnesses, and has left us a graphic account of 
 the solemn inauguration of the ministers and of 
 the kingdom of the Messiah, and of the imme- 
 diate resulting consequences. The following are 
 his words. 
 
 " 'And when the days of Pentecost were accom- 
 plished, they were all together in the same place, 
 and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as 
 of a mighty wind . coming, and it filled the whole 
 house where they were sitting. And there appeared 
 to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it set 
 upon every orie of them; and they were all filled 
 with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with 
 divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave 
 them to speak. Now there were dwelling at Jerusa- 
 lem, Jews, devout men out of every nation under 
 heaven. And when this was noised about, the multi- 
 tude came together, and were confounded in mind, 
 because that every one heard them speak in his. own 
 tongue. And they were all amazed, and wondered, 
 saying : behold ! are not all these Galileans ? And 
 how have we heard, every man our own tongue, 
 wherein we were born ? Parthians and Medes and 
 Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 265 
 
 and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and 
 Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Lybia about 
 Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews also and 
 proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we have heard 
 them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works 
 of God.' 
 
 " Here is a faithful account of the spectacle which 
 the Church of Jesus presented, at the very moment 
 when she sprung into active life. And you will find 
 her at this first hour of her existence, precisely that 
 which she now is, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic 
 and Infallible. And she exercises her high functions 
 in the same manner on the first Pentecost of her 
 being, as she does at the Pentecost of our time, — by 
 announcing the word with authority from on high, 
 calling upon the people to believe, to do penance, and 
 to be baptized. And the nations answer by receiving 
 baptism after the manner of the multitude of Jerusa- 
 lem, who were first addressed by Peter. 
 
 " The Church on the first Pentecost was eminently 
 
 One. They are all congregated in the same house, 
 
 forming one moral body, dwelling under one roof. 
 
 And this one body receives miraculously the same 
 
 supernatural gifts, the same powers and privileges : 
 
 for the 'fiery tongues sat on every one of them.' 
 
 'And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.' 
 
 'And they began to speak with divers tongues.' 
 23 
 
266 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Therefore this one undivided and indivisible body 
 is also one as to its gifts, powers and privileges. 
 Peter received the plenitude of the Holy Spirit, and 
 John and James and the rest; but the plenitude 
 of the Holy Spirit implies all power and wisdom to 
 act, teach and rule, but since they are one corporate 
 body, and as such have received their power and 
 wisdom, they can act, teach and rule only in their 
 corporate capacity. Now, if they act as a corpora- 
 tion, they are necessarily one in rule and govern- 
 ment; in belief and" teaching; in their aims, ends 
 and objects. Each and all teach what they have 
 received; but each and all have received the same 
 things, namely, the plenitude of the Holy Spirit; 
 therefore each and all teach the same things, and 
 teaching all of them alike, their teaching must be 
 one. And those who receive this teaching, receive 
 and believe all things taught. Hence the believers 
 also are one. Hence the great characteristic of the 
 Church, unity of its teachers, of its teaching, and 
 of the people taught by it. And such is actually 
 the spectacle which the Church exhibits on the first 
 day of Pentecost. 
 
 Luke affirms moreover that this one corporate body 
 persevered in holy exercises, " and they were perse- 
 vering in the doctrine of the Apostles and in the com- 
 munion of breaking of bread, and in prayer." The 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 267 
 
 doctrine of the Apostles was holy, for they delivered 
 the things which the Holy Spirit had inspired them, 
 and the teachers were holy, for the Holy Spirit had 
 filled them all; — therefore the teachers, and the 
 things taught, and the people who persevered in 
 this doctrine, were all holy. Besides, the breaking 
 of bread and prayer, were eminently holy exercises ; 
 hence the second characteristic of the Church, 
 holiness, was fully exhibited in her on the day of 
 Pentecost. 
 
 " Her third feature, Apostolicity, was equally 
 conspicuous. The Apostles were then confirmed 
 in their station and office. They were the recipients 
 of the favors, gifts and graces of the powers and 
 privileges conferred by the Holy Spirit. They were 
 the actors and sole regulators of the Infant Church. 
 Hence it was emphatically Apostolic, in every sense 
 of the word, on the memorable day of Pentecost. 
 
 " Strange as it may seem, she was even Universal 
 in this first day of her existence, inasmuch as the 
 nature of things could allow. Luke seems to have 
 felt the importance of this great characteristic. 
 Hence he has taken special pains in enumerating 
 the nations which were at the time represented in 
 Jerusalem ; and we find that every nation of the 
 then known world was represented individually in 
 the holy city. The masses were attracted by the 
 
268 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 mysterious phenomena attending the organization 
 of the new kingdom. They gathered around the 
 house where the Apostles tarried, Peter addressed 
 them on the spot at the same time, and with such 
 effect, that they exclaimed with one accord, 'What 
 shall we do, men and brethren V And three thousand 
 were on that day added to the Church. These were 
 gathered from that multitude which spoke all dialects 
 under Heaven, and embodied people of every clime 
 on the earth : hence the Church as exhibited on 
 Pentecost is strictly and literally Universal. 
 
 " But in an especial manner is the Church of the 
 Pentecost Infallible. Parted tongues sit on each 
 of the Apostles, 'and all are filled with the Holy 
 Ghost/ In virtue of this, they converse in all 
 languages under Heaven, and are enabled to move 
 the hearts of hardened sinful men. Then they act 
 under the influence of the Holy Spirit; but who- 
 ever acts under such power, necessarily acts with 
 infallibility, acting as they do under the guidance 
 of infinite wisdom, which can neither deceive nor 
 be deceived. Hence infallibility is the birthright 
 arising from the very nature of the Church as con- 
 stituted on the day of Pentecost. But whatever is 
 inherent in her being can never be separated from 
 her. Hence she is absolutely infallible. 
 
 " Here, then, we have the Church from the 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 269 
 
 account of Luke, literally One, Holy, Catholic, 
 Apostolic and Infallible. From these, as well as 
 from the nature of her functions, perpetuity neces- 
 sarily flows. She is to teach all nations. Then 
 she must give instruction to the last nation that 
 is to appear upon this earth, and to the last 
 individual of that nation. But the last nation, 
 and its last individual, will only appear at the end 
 of the world ; therefore will she teach until the end 
 of the world ; to do which the Church must neces- 
 sarily be perpetual.' , 
 
 "I would now ask you," continued Xavier, "to 
 contemplate that glorious institution, charged, com- 
 missioned and empowered to instruct mankind in 
 the science of heavenly knowledge. There stand 
 the twelve Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, in 
 all, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible and 
 Perpetual body, the teachers; whilst before them 
 present themselves all nations, in the persons of 
 their representatives, as listeners and scholars. 
 Before them, Peter rises, surrounded by the eleven, 
 and lifting up his voice, he addresses the mighty 
 multitude. He speaks to them in the name of all, 
 for he is their acknowledged chief. How beautifully, 
 how forcibly in this first function of the Church, is 
 her Unity exemplified! Peter speaks, and all assent. 
 
 The doctrine of Peter is the doctrine of John, and 
 23* 
 
270 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 James, and the rest. No division, no schism, no 
 secession, no discord or opposition is whispered 
 amongst them. Peter briefly explains to the whole 
 multitude the plan of redemption for which Jesus 
 came into this world : the whole economy of grace 
 which he has established on earth; his life and 
 death ; and their result upon the human race. This 
 the Apostle did in precisely the same manner, and 
 by the same authority, by which we are now explain- 
 ing them to you, and by which we have explained 
 them to many thousand Japonians. You already 
 know the results of this first teaching of the Church. 
 " And the course pursued by that multitude, the 
 first disciples of the Apostles, the earliest services 
 of the teaching church, is equally beautiful and cha- 
 racteristic, and serves as a just model for all future 
 ages. With humble and docile hearts they present 
 themselves before the Apostolic College, exclaiming 
 with one voice, 'What shall we do, men and brethren V 
 No self-conceit, no private judgment is here thought 
 of, or resorted to. Like meek and humble scholars, 
 they inquire of their teachers what they shall do in 
 order that they may be saved. With confiding 
 hearts and liberal minds they come to learn these 
 sublime truths, which their imperfect understandings 
 could never unassisted have fathomed. And with 
 corresponding simplicity and frankness, they are 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 271 
 
 informed what to do, and shown what to avoid, to 
 obtain eternal life." 
 
 "Here," said Xavier, "you have a brief but 
 truthful view of the practical working of the great 
 system of eternal salvation which the God-man came 
 down from heaven to establish. It is a method 
 plain and simple, yet powerful and efficacious. The 
 Apostolic Church is the exclusive guardian of this 
 Divine establishment. It is the legislator, ruler 
 and judge of the new kingdom. From it emanates 
 all power and all authority. But the Apostles are 
 aided in their ministry, by many functionaries. But 
 they all act only by virtue of the power which they 
 receive from this great corporation. Thus when the 
 number of the faithful augmented, the Apostles 
 appointed seven deacons as subordinate ministers, to 
 aid and assist them in the performance of their 
 duties. In like manner they appointed and ordained 
 ministers of the word. The faithful people received 
 them as ambassadors of the great body, and heard 
 and obeyed them as they would have done, had 
 they been harangued and besought by the Apostles 
 themselves. It is in virtue of such a commission as 
 this that myself and colleagues are here before you. 
 We come to you in the name and by the authority of 
 the Church founded by Jesus. We can produce before 
 you the credentials of our appointment to this mis- 
 
272 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 sion, and we claim of you obedience and submission 
 to us, in the name of that Church, which has said, 
 * he that hears you, my ministers, hears me ; and he 
 that despises you, despises me.' " 
 
 "Here, then," continued Xavier, "you have an 
 infallible means of ascertaining and distinguishing 
 the true minister of God, from the intruder. If any 
 one thus presents himself before you, demand of 
 him his credentials. Make him prove to you that 
 he comes in the name and by the authority of the 
 One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible, Perpetual 
 Church, the only authorized organ of heaven upon 
 earth ? If he presents himself in any other name, 
 or by any other authority, receive him not, for he 
 brings to you not the words of life, but those of 
 death eternal. 
 
 "In a manner similar to this, did the body cor- 
 porate maintain itself. When Judas went his own 
 way from them, the Apostolic College, by virtue of 
 that plenitude of power which they had received 
 from him who possesses all power, chose Matthias 
 in his place, who being incorporated with the re- 
 mainder, thus became one of the twelve. And in 
 this manner has the Apostolic College been per- 
 petuated until the present day, and thus until the 
 end of time will it continue to be replenished, for it 
 is to last forever. 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 273 
 
 "Not only are the Apostles the directors and 
 guardians of the new establishment, they are pre- 
 eminently the judges, by whom all matters of differ- 
 ence and dispute are to be adjusted. Luke has left 
 us an account of the action of the College in its 
 judicial capacity, when for the first time it became 
 necessary to constitute itself into a court of justice, 
 to investigate and decide upon a controverted matter 
 within its sphere. For even in the days of the 
 Apostles themselves, differences of opinion arose. 
 At the time, the point in dispute was, — the question 
 originated by the Jewish converts, whether the con- 
 verted Gentiles were not bound to submit to the law 
 of circumcision. This the latter denied. Both 
 parties maintained their opinions, and advanced 
 their views with firmness and zeal ; in doing which, 
 they but exercised a right, until the court of appeal 
 should pronounce its verdict. The whole matter was 
 referred to the Apostolic body, in Jerusalem, the city 
 of peace. There then did they assemble, discussing 
 the subject in debate, and ending their deliberations 
 by the annunciation of a solemn decree : i It has 
 seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay no 
 further burden upon you, our brethren of the Gen- 
 tiles in Antioch, in Syria, and Cilicia, further than 
 that you abstain from sacrifices offered to idols, from 
 blood, from things strangled, and fornication.' The 
 
274 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 crime of fornication was not understood by the Gen- 
 tiles, hence its place in this decree. The abstinence 
 from blood was a temporary ordinance, to accustom 
 the converts from Paganism to a new order of things, 
 and to cause them to forget the old law. 
 
 u The Apostolic College authoritatively decides 
 the matter, citing the power upon which they act, 
 'It has seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us.' 
 The Holy Ghost then aided and assisted them in 
 this, the first exercise of that authority which had 
 been conferred upon them by the charter of Mount 
 Olivet. As the Holy Ghost is pledged to remain 
 with them forever, to guide them in all truth, he 
 has since assisted them on similar exigencies, and 
 must continue to do so until the end of the world. 
 
 "By this first council of the Church, she has 
 established a judicial mode of action in the matters 
 of faith, morals and discipline, of whatever kind or 
 nature they may be; to which form she has faith- 
 fully adhered in all after ages. The formula 
 adopted by the first and the last council, in deciding 
 upon dogmas or rules of practice will be found to 
 be substantially the same. And on the occasion re- 
 lated, the heated disputants had virtue enough to 
 receive the decision with humble and silent submis- 
 sion. The Church speaks, and all is ended. The 
 sentence is pronounced, and the parties meet each 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 275 
 
 other on former terms. Had this submissive wisdom 
 of the first believers descended to after ages, there 
 would now be but one fold and one shepherd instead 
 of the motley crowd that follow the name of Jesus. 
 
 " This mode of procedure in matters of disputed 
 faith and morals, adopted by the Council at Jeru- 
 salem, has been followed by the Church in all sub- 
 sequent ages. The Arian heresy was thus met, 
 examined and condemned. The Nestorians, Euty- 
 chians, Donatists, and others, were in this manner 
 adjudged and denounced by the same authority which 
 had pronounced sentence on the erratic Christians 
 of the first age of the Church. And as often as new 
 difficulties may arise in the belief or practice of the 
 authorized religion of heaven, this same means will 
 be the only and ultimate resort, so long as the world 
 is in existence. 
 
 " Out of Judea, the operations of the Church 
 were conducted in a similar way. c And they went 
 forth,' says the historian Mark, ' preaching every 
 where, the Lord working with them, and confirming 
 the word with signs following.' Whilst Peter taught 
 the people of India, and Syria, and of Rome, Paul 
 taught in lesser Asia, Greece, and as far as Spain. 
 Andrew penetrated into Scythia; Thomas and 
 Bartholomew into Parthia and India, and so of the 
 rest, all instructing the nations by word of mouth, 
 
276 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 not by tracts or Bibles. The same acts were per- 
 formed by thek" successors, whom they selected to 
 follow them in virtue of the charter, and after the 
 fashion of the Council at Jerusalem. Concerning 
 this appointment of successors, the historian Luke, 
 says, 6 they ordained them priests in every Church.' 
 Tor this cause,' says Paul to Titus, 'I left thee in 
 Crete, that thou should'st set in order the things 
 that are wanting, and should'st ordain priests in 
 every city, as I have appointed thee.' And to 
 Timothy, he says, ' the things that thou hast heard 
 of me amongst many witnesses, the same commit 
 thou to those faithful men, who shall be able to 
 teach others also.' 
 
 "Now we do know from history, that these 
 faithful men, successors of the first teachers, have 
 actually taught by word of mouth, the Egyptians, 
 Ethiopians, Persians, Franks, Germans, Sclavonians, 
 and likewise the people of Russia, Poland, Hungary, 
 England, Ireland, and the new world. In a word, 
 they have taught all nations under heaven, and are, 
 at this very moment, engaged in the same great and 
 glorious task, laboring with equal zeal, and with 
 perhaps, commensurate success, as this, your own 
 Japan, will testify on this very day. 
 
 " The judicial functions granted her ministers by 
 the Church, are alike exercised in other and in all 
 
CONFIRMATION OF THE CHARTER. 277 
 
 places ; as at Jerusalem ; at Constantinople ; at 
 Nice, Ephesus, and Chalcedon; at Rome; every- 
 where indeed, are their proceedings summary and 
 positive, as become the exponents of a Supreme 
 power. And from their decisions there can be no 
 appeal, being as they are, the acts of an authority, 
 which can neither deceive nor be deceived, and 
 which, as such, has ever been regarded by the Chris- 
 tian world." 
 
 "Here then," continued Xavier, "you have made 
 clearly and truthfully manifest, that in which con- 
 sists the secure and never-failing guide, appointed 
 by the Almighty to direct man into the path of 
 truth . and righteousness, through which he may be 
 conducted to the portal of the eternal kingdom of 
 heaven. This guide was proclaimed and established 
 by Jesus before he ascended into heaven, and God 
 solemnly confirmed it on the day of Pentecost. 
 This guide was adopted by the apostles, and fol- 
 lowed by the whole Christian world for fifteen 
 hundred years, without a dissenting voice. It is 
 still, the one, only safe guide of the majority of 
 those who have adopted the doctrine of the Chris- 
 tian dispensation. 
 
 24 
 
278 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 
 
 As the teaching Church was the Guide established by Jesus, none 
 but He could change it. When did He change it I The Guide 
 intended for all must be adapted to all. Such is not the Bible, 
 but such is the teaching Church, which is suited to all capaci- 
 ties, and fit for all countries. It is the simple and natural way 
 to learn the truth. The Church gives character to the Scrip- 
 tures — hence are the Protestants obliged to follow it, in spite 
 of themselves. She only is its guardian, and hence its 
 expounder. 
 
 "Undoubtedly," exclaimed the Jaco, "the guide 
 you hold out to us, is the guide of nature. Its 
 operations are simple, natural, direct and necessarily 
 safe. Nature prompts the child to obey the instruc- 
 tions of the parent, and the scholar to improve by 
 the instruction of the master ; and in the sight of 
 Heaven, what are we, but mere children, unable to 
 distinguish our right hand from our left ? What 
 course more natural or more appropriate for us than 
 to listen and to obey, the kindly governors whom 
 our great Parent has sent us from heaven, in the 
 person of his Church, to lead us into the ways of 
 safety and truth ? Surely, it ill becomes a child to 
 dispute with his parent, or the scholar with his 
 preceptor. What then is the book which they have 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 279 
 
 placed in our hands, compared with this simple, 
 rational, and secure guide ? The book might, per- 
 haps, answer philosophers and sophists, who love to 
 wrangle and dispute on trivial points, and to tread 
 obscure and impracticable paths ; but the sincere 
 inquirer, the earnest lover of truth, must rejoice in 
 following the great infallible guide which you have 
 demonstrated unto us, and which nature prompts us 
 to hear and obey." 
 
 " It is an admitted fact," continued Xavier, "that 
 this guide was first established by Jesus, and exclu- 
 sively adopted and followed by the whole Christian 
 world for many centuries. Now what Jesus has 
 established, no one has the right to change or 
 abrogate, but himself. Now Jesus has established 
 the Christian Church. None, therefore, but he, can 
 alter, amend, or annul it, or substitute another in its 
 place. If then the ancient guide has been discarded 
 for another one, as the modern Christians contend, 
 it remains for them to show unto us, — when Jesus 
 of Nazareth has amended the old method of learning 
 his revelations, and at what time he introduced the 
 new mode, when he did revoke the solemn charge 
 he made his disciples, ' Go and teach all nations,' 
 commanding them instead, to distribute the Bible, in 
 short, when he changed the first method of instruct- 
 ing the people for another one, — at what particular 
 
280 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 time the change was effected — under what circum- 
 stances, in what manner, and for what cause was it 
 introduced. 
 
 " But I go yet further, and assert that Jesus could 
 not have introduced the system of the Bible, inas- 
 much as he could not have instituted as a guide for 
 man that which is altogether inadequate to the 
 fulfilment of the ends and purposes for which it was 
 designed. We have already seen that the Bible 
 lacks many essential requisites to constitute a fair 
 and adequate criterion, by which the principles and 
 standard of morality may be governed. Since every 
 class of people was to be guided into the kingdom of 
 the Messiah, it was necessary that the guide should 
 suit the capacities, and be adapted to the various 
 conditions, and moreover be within the reach of all. 
 Such is not the Bible, as we have seen, but such is, 
 emphatically, the teaching Church. How then 
 could Jesus have substituted the Bible for the Church ? 
 The latter, as I have said, is suited to the capacities 
 of all. All can listen to its instructions, and obey 
 its admonitions, even the most ignorant of men, and 
 that too with perfect safety. For they would listen 
 unto those, of whom, Jesus has declared, ( he that 
 hears you, hears me.' It is adapted to the actual 
 condition of every class of men, alike to the prince 
 and the peasant, to the rich and the poor, to the 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 281 
 
 philosopher and the untutored savage. It acts in a 
 like manner to all, affording them equal facilities for 
 gaining the truth, giving preference to none, requi- 
 ring every one to listen and obey. The haughty 
 scholar, and the ignorant peasant, the master and the 
 slave, side by side, stand the humble recipient of the 
 truth. And the most illiterate plebeian has precisely 
 the same security, as the most accomplished Divine, 
 since they both bow to an authority, which can neither 
 deceive nor be deceived. How different is your 
 Bible ? When one has perused the volume from the 
 beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, he 
 has drawn from it no more than a simple opinion, 
 from which he will find millions to dissent, and all of 
 them equally honest in their purpose, to discover the 
 truth, as he. There are thousands who cannot 
 procure the book, there are millions who cannot read 
 it, and but few indeed can hope to understand its 
 meaning. 
 
 "Again, the teaching Church is adequate and 
 sufficient for the disposal of all possible cases, con- 
 cerning articles of faith, and modes of practice. 
 Whatever disputes may originate, whatever difficulties 
 may arise amongst its members, the Church is ever 
 present to decide upon the question, and that with 
 infallible finality. Such decisions must be acquiesced 
 
 in by all, since they are the decrees of Him who is 
 24* 
 
282 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 its founder. He is the voucher for the actions of 
 his Church, who has said, \ Behold, I am with you 
 all days, even to the end of the world.' And from 
 such an opinion there can be no appeal, for it is the 
 voice of God. But the Bible cannot, thus decide. 
 It is mute, and offers not a word of explanation or 
 comment. Each of the contending parties speak 
 through its interpretation. Hence there is appeal 
 after appeal, and no court to take cognizance of, no 
 judge to decide upon the case. 
 
 "But, on the other hand, how pleasing and lucid 
 does the system of the teaching Church render 
 the study of Christianity ? How beautifully is it 
 adapted to people of every stage, to the inhabitants 
 of every clime, to the men of every age ! At the 
 moment when we have discovered the infallible 
 guide, how do our difficulties vanish, how are our 
 doubts dispelled ? We may apply to her at any 
 time, or in any manner, for information, on any 
 point of religion or morality, and our answer is 
 always ready. ' What shall we do, men and breth- 
 ren V exclaimed the converted multitude. 'Do pen- 
 ance, and be baptized, each and every o«e of you,' 
 was the prompt reply. Differences of opinion arise 
 concerning the doctrine of circumcision, which no 
 private authority, or no social influence could ter- 
 minate. The disputants appeal to the teaching 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 283 
 
 Church at Jerusalem. The Church decides that no 
 further burden is to be imposed upon the Gentiles, 
 and the dispute is ended. The solution of the 
 problem is received with implicit faith as the tangible 
 embodiment of the Spirit of God's will. Again, 
 when in after times, the minds of the people were 
 confused by the tenets of Arius, Nestorius, Euty- 
 ches, Donatus and other innovators, the faithful 
 invariably called upon the Church for advice and 
 instruction. The Church spoke in her general 
 councils, and at once a course is shaped for all. In 
 still later days, pestiferous exhalations arising from 
 the corrupted hearts of Germany, France and 
 England, obscure the heavens with gloom and dark- 
 ness, impregnating the very atmosphere with doubt 
 and error. Strange sounds, caused by absurd 
 novelties, are floating in the air. The frightened 
 and bewildered people gather around the form of 
 their aged mother, seeking aid and consolation under 
 her refuge. She rises in her might and wisdom, 
 and with a single glance of her all-piercing eye, she 
 dispels before the vision of her children the murky 
 and darkening clouds of innovation, causing the 
 glorious and benignant light of truth to gladden 
 their bewildered eyes, and once more to shed its 
 genial rays throughout their souls. And so long 
 as the world remains, new innovators will arise to 
 
284 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 tempt and mislead the children of God ; but directly 
 in their path will be the Church, ever ready to 
 expose their errors, always vigilant in directing her 
 offspring in the unfailing road to eternal felicity; 
 for she is the truth and the life, indeed. 
 
 "A method more evident and just, more apt and 
 practical, more safe and unerring by which the will 
 and pleasure of the Almighty may be made known 
 to his creatures could not be devised. As I have 
 said, every possible matter of doubt she is ready, on 
 the instant to dispel. I am a child, and my parents 
 teach me my catechism, containing a compendious 
 but complete summary of faith and morals. This 
 is the order of nature as well as of religion. I 
 grow up ; I begin to attend divine worship, and there 
 I hear my immediate pastor explain from the pulpit 
 the very doctrine, and inculcate the same practices, 
 which the language of my catechism had urged. I 
 attend other Catholic churches. I hear other pas- 
 tors, perhaps bishops ; perhaps the Pope himself. 
 All these inculcate the very same articles of belief, 
 command the same rules of practice which were 
 urged by my own pastor. I find, moreover, that 
 all Catholic people, with their several pastors and 
 bishops, believe and practise precisely alike, and 
 this holds true, not in one country, but throughout 
 the universe. I visit Europe, Asia, Africa, and 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 285 
 
 America; I go to China, the Indies, Persia, or 
 Egypt, to Tartary or Palestine, and I find to my 
 great satisfaction and pleasing astonishment, that 
 all the pastors of these various climes, peoples and 
 tongues instruct their spiritual scholars in precisely 
 the same doctrines ; and that all their subjects hear, 
 believe and practise that in which they are in- 
 structed. I have a taste for the acquirement of his- 
 torical knowledge. I read the transactions of days 
 gone by, and I find that the pastors of the first, 
 second, third, fourth and after centuries of the Chris- 
 tian era taught these very things, and their subjects 
 of those days believed and practised exactly as the 
 pastors of the present day instruct, and as the 
 faithful of the present day believe and practise. I 
 may, perhaps, study the Latin, Greek, or Hebrew 
 languages. I read the original writings of the 
 Prophets, Apostles, and Fathers of the Church, who 
 can testify to the doctrine and worship of the times 
 in which they lived, and I find that the Prophets 
 have pointed out, and that the Apostles have ac- 
 knowledged and followed the very guide which I 
 follow ; that the Fathers knew no other ; that read- 
 ing the Bible, and private interpretation was un- 
 known in primitive times ; nay, that the existence of 
 the Bible, as it now is, was a thing unknown to thou- 
 sands, even of the flower of the Christian world." 
 
286 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 "All of which," interrupted a parson, "is' no 
 doubt very specious and plausible ; but why do you 
 monopolize to your creed, all the credit due praise- 
 worthy and successful action ? Have not we, also, 
 our catechisms to learn, and our pastors to instruct 
 us ? Have we not, too, our holy fathers, Luther and 
 Calvin? Their creeds and formulas are likewise, 
 precious guides to us. Many of us believe and live 
 as good protestants, without much commerce with 
 the Bible. The Bible is indeed a good book, but 
 many of us have managed to get along without it. 
 On that point, then, as well as the former ones, our 
 Catholic brethren are not entitled to exclusive 
 credit." 
 
 "Your confession," returned Xavier, "proves 
 that truth will vindicate her rights, in the midst of 
 error. You adopt as a standard, theoretically, the 
 Bible alone, but you are compelled to acknowledge 
 that practically, you follow the guide which has 
 made the world Christian, and which only, can pre- 
 vent it from again lapsing into the mazes of infi- 
 delity. You have your catechism, in violation of 
 your principles, it being composed by fallible men. 
 You have your pastors to instruct you, but they 
 impart to your fancies, their own religious vagaries 
 and dreams of ethic perfection. They do not even, 
 assume to appear before you in the name of him who 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 287 
 
 said, 'go and teach all nations.' If you learn a 
 catechism, or are disposed to listen to the teachings 
 of men, why should you halt half-way in your 
 course ? Why not take the benefit of the full expe- 
 riment, by learning a catechism emanating from the 
 pillar and ground-work of truth, and by listening to 
 those of whom the Saviour says, ' he that hears you, 
 hears me, and he that despises you, despises me.' 
 But you say that you have holy fathers to illumine 
 your path by their shining light. Which of these 
 do you purpose following ? For the credit of your 
 several souls, you had better ignore them all. If 
 you wish to follow a guide, follow the great infallible 
 one, established by Jesus and acknowledged by all 
 the Saints of the new law." 
 
 "In the strain in which you have been indulg- 
 ing," said the parson, "your holy Church, your 
 infallible Church, your guide, your only guide, 
 forms the whole matter of your harangue; whilst 
 the good book, the sacred volume, the revelations of 
 God Almighty, is entirely thrown out of the ques- 
 tion." 
 
 "I know nothing," returned Xavier, "of your 
 good book or sacred revelations, unless the Church, 
 ' my only guide,' testify to its character and inform 
 me of what it consists. The priests of Egypt and 
 of Persia, of Greece and of Rome, the Brahmans of 
 
288 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 India and the Bonzas of Japan, all exhibit their 
 sacred books — their Bibles, if you will. Do you re- 
 spect their character or acknowledge their autho- 
 rity? Peter and Paul, Matthew and Luke, are 
 indeed acknowledged authors of the sacred volume, 
 but these were by nature fallible men. Whence 
 have you learned that these men, always, or at any 
 time, wrote under Divine dictation? Whence have 
 you ascertained that their writings contain the reve- 
 lations of God, either entire, or in part ? No human 
 testimony can satisfy you on this point. The books 
 cannot testify to their own character, and the fact 
 of their inspiration. Some extraneous authority 
 must prove the reality of their assumption and 
 vouch for the truth which they contain. Not even 
 a worldly, declaratory instrument can be considered 
 as legal authority among men, unless its character 
 be certified by some competent, independent tribu- 
 nal. What demonstration has been given you, that 
 the book you hand me, is really the good book ? 
 Who vouches for its truthfulness and inspired cha- 
 racter ? For you, Scripture is no Scripture, because 
 there is no infallible authority to assure you of the 
 fact." 
 
 " Your premises," exclaimed the parson, " are 
 replete with sophistry and inconsistency. Have not, 
 you, yourself, cited Matthew, Luke and Mark, to 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 289 
 
 prove the existence, and even the infallibility of 
 your church? Why deny me the right to do the 
 same ?" 
 
 "The truth is sometimes unpleasant," answered 
 Xavier, " and yet it must be told. You are privi- 
 leged to use the writings of Matthew, Luke and 
 Mark, as common history, as records of the times 
 in which they wrote, entitled to belief, as emanating 
 from witnesses of the public facts which they relate. 
 And as such only, have I made use of their asser- 
 tions, to demonstrate the infallible nature of the 
 Church to which I belong. I have used and extolled 
 them, not as the embodied language of the Divine 
 fire, but simply as ordinary records of a high cha- 
 racter for authenticity — such as we would employ to 
 establish, for instance, the fact of the foundation of 
 the Japonian Empire. Here, then, must rest your 
 objection. But I have grounds to go yet further. 
 Having established the infallibility of the Church 
 from human testimony, that Church itself, witnesses 
 to the real character of these writings, which hither- 
 to I had regarded and used as merely human 
 records. It informs me of their divinely inspired 
 character. It directs me to these writings, stating 
 which are, and which are not, the impulses of the 
 Deity, enrobed in human garb. It does for me, 
 
 more than even this. It discloses to me, the hidden 
 
 25 
 
290 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 meaning, the precise sense, of these mysterious 
 writings ; a result, which no human ingenuity could 
 succeed in effecting. In this manner, my infallible 
 guide puts me in actual possession of the good book, 
 and teaches me how to read and to understand it, 
 whilst to you, it is and must forever remain a sealed 
 book, unless you apply to that great authority, the 
 Church, that it may be opened for you." 
 
 " But what is the real nature," observed the Jaco, 
 " of the Bible, of which we have heard so much ?" 
 
 "The Bible," answered Xavier, "consists of two 
 parts, designated the Old and the New Testament. 
 The Old Testament is a kind of a history from the 
 creation of the world to the coming of the Messiah. 
 It contains a narrative of the creation and of the 
 fall, and of its disasters upon the human race. It 
 announces the future redemption of man. It dis- 
 tinctly foretells the advent, life and death of the 
 Messiah. In a word, it is a faithful record of God's 
 transactions with man. The New Testament is a 
 detailed history of the coming of the Messiah, of 
 his life and death, of the foundation of the spiritual 
 kingdom, of his first disciples, and of matters con- 
 nected with his mission on earth. It is a true nar- 
 rative of the lives and acts of Jesus and the twelve 
 Apostles, in connection with the establishment of 
 the Christian Church. 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 291 
 
 "But it so happened, that there existed many 
 such pretended histories, purporting to give the 
 same facts, and yet widely differing in their detail of 
 them. This confused the minds of the faithful, who 
 were taught to revere the sacred writings, but who 
 knew not which they were. The Church, then, 
 deemed it proper, in her sovereign, infallible capa- 
 city, to determine which of the many rival books 
 really and truly contained the revelations of God. 
 None could determine this important fact, except 
 her, to whom the Saviour had said, c behold I am 
 with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
 world.' She alone, could testify to the existence, 
 to the authenticity, and to the inspired character of 
 the sacred writings. She then, was the sole guar- 
 antee and voucher of the Scripture as it is. Nor 
 could she waive her right of still guarding it, after 
 its character had been established, since none but 
 she could faithfully discharge the duties of its cen- 
 sorship. The Scriptures were in every respect her 
 own, for she had made them known throughout the 
 world, and had presented them to her faithful peo- 
 ple. And since it was she who had established their 
 character, it became her province to interpret their 
 meaning. Without the Church, Scripture is no 
 Scripture; with the Church, it is precisely that 
 which she has ever stated it to be, and nothing more 
 
292 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 nor less. On her are we to depend for the holiness 
 of its nature ; for her use alone must it continue to 
 exist. She cannot part with her own property, 
 more especially, when to those who have not her 
 assistance, it is so susceptible of abuse." 
 
 "When and where," inquired the Jaco, "did the 
 Church establish the sacred character of these 
 writings ?" " Three hundred and ninety-seven 
 years from the date of her existence, the Church 
 assembled in the third council of Carthage. Then 
 and there she decided upon the number, quality and 
 authenticity of the sacred books, and thus presented 
 them to the world. St. Augustine, a critical scholar 
 of ecclesiastical history, affirms that Pope Innocent 
 the first, had already designated the precise writings 
 of the Scripture, which the council of Carthage sub- 
 sequently solemnly confirmed. In later times, Pope 
 Pelagius confirmed the same canon, acting in the 
 name of the universal church. The same was more- 
 over done in still later days, by Pope Eugenius, act- 
 ing in the same capacity. 
 
 " Until the decision of the Council of Carthage, 
 some of the sacred writings had borne a vague and 
 doubtful character, and could only be made use of 
 and quoted as good books containing the historical 
 evidence of the transactions of the time of our Lord. 
 Since then solemn decisions have been made, we 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 293 
 
 have regarded them as the oracles of Heaven, and 
 recognize them as the direct productions of the 
 Creator's will. Yet even now, these oracles require 
 explanation, these words of God need an interpre- 
 tation by that only exponent of the Divine will on 
 earth, the infallible Church. The Scriptures con- 
 tinue to be her property exclusively. Dissenters 
 from her doctrine can lay no claim to them, nor can 
 they derive from them any benefit, save that which 
 accrues from them as mere historical records. 
 
 " We have thus far used the Scriptures in the 
 manner of an ordinary narrative, for the purpose of 
 establishing the existence, and determining the 
 nature of the Supreme Church. But now that the 
 Church has instructed us of their Divine character, 
 the history and matter which they recount must 
 necessarily receive the stamp of Divinity. Hence 
 the arguments deduced from their statements are 
 infallible, since, they rest upon the foundations of 
 Divine testimony. Hence the entire fabric of the 
 spiritual kingdom on earth, rests upon Divine 
 authority. Hence the authority which it exercises 
 is Divine and infallible in the fullest sense of the 
 terms." 
 
 " I have now proved, I hope to your satisfaction," 
 
 continued Xavier, " the following important facts : 
 
 first, That Jesus of Nazareth did establish in the 
 25* 
 
294 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 land of Judea, a body of teachers : secondly, That 
 to this body of teachers, he committed the task of 
 instructing all nations in all his commandments : 
 thirdly, That this body of teachers existed before 
 the New Testament had been written; that they 
 were performing their duties many years before it 
 was completed ; that several hundred years elapsed 
 before it became universally known to the Christian 
 world ; fourthly, That this body of Christians, in 
 order that they may fulfil the task entrusted them, 
 must still exist, and ever so continue, so long as lasts 
 the world : fifthly, That the charter granted to this 
 body, constitutes it One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, 
 Infallible and Perpetual. Hence it follows, sixthly, 
 That the people of all nations, the inhabitants of 
 every clime, the children of all times, are bound to 
 become, and enroll themselves the scholars of this 
 great College, and that the instructions which they 
 receive from the great body of teachers must com- 
 mand their highest respect and obedience." 
 
 " Great Apostle," exclaimed Justo, " your words 
 fall upon our ears like mandates from Heaven. 
 The truth of their substance, the force of their dis- 
 position, render them irresistible to the hearts of 
 men. The Sovereign Power himself has spoken 
 through your lips. Your arguments have brought 
 conviction to our minds, your persuasive appeals 
 
IMMUTABILITY OF THE GUIDE. 295 
 
 have met with corresponding fervor in our souls. It 
 is in vain for us to urge warfare against that which 
 is for our good. We confess our confidence in, our 
 attachment for, our belief in the One, Holy, Catholic, 
 Apostolic, Infallible and Perpetual Church. Her 
 teachings we vow to hear and to obey, and we are 
 resolved to be guided by her counsels, and governed 
 by her wishes." 
 
 The great majority answer, "Be it so!" The 
 Council then adjourned for three days. 
 
296 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 
 
 The true Church is universal, from the nature of her constitution. 
 Universality belongs neither to the Eastern nor Protestant 
 Churches, hence they cannot be the true guide — It is found 
 eminently in the Church of Rome — Unity, another necessary 
 element of the true Church, likewise characteristic of it — 
 Again, Apostolicity, a distinguishing mark of the Divine insti- 
 tution, one of its most intimate parts — Possessing then these 
 essential requisites of a guide, the Church of Rome is indeed 
 the great earthly kingdom of the Messiah — The pretensions of 
 others to this high honor, unfounded and untenable. 
 
 Great preparations were being made in the valley 
 of Frenoxama, during the recess of the Council, for 
 its next solemn session, at which, it was expected, 
 the great question would be decided. It had indeed, 
 been proved and admitted that Jesus of Nazareth 
 had founded a kingdom upon earth, which, all were 
 bound to enter, and whose laws and ordinances, all 
 were required to obey. It was also admitted that he 
 had established a guide to conduct us into that 
 kingdom ; and the character of both had been 
 minutely described. The Prince of Japan, and 
 many of the Council had even openly declared their 
 belief in such a kingdom, and pledged their uncon- 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 297 
 
 ditional adherence to the requirements of its guide. 
 Still, as yet, neither the one nor the other, had been 
 formally identified. There were many social king- 
 doms, many rival guides, amongst the various 
 Christian denominations, all contending for the 
 honor of Orthodoxy. The object of the coming 
 session was to terminate this protracted, though 
 important dispute, by ascertaining the individual 
 kingdom and guide actually established by Jesus 
 for the purposes before named. The impending 
 sitting, was therefore, highly momentous, not only 
 to the members of the Council, but to all Japan, 
 and moreover, to every nation. The palm of 
 superiority, veracity and supremacy, was to be 
 awarded to one denomination, and as a conse- 
 quence, the others were to be pronounced false and 
 heretical. It may then be easily understood, why 
 the deepest interest was manifested by each indi- 
 vidual member throughout this coming meeting. 
 They had all to arm themselves for a fierce conflict. 
 On the appointed day, Nobunango and the Princes 
 of Japan again met the religious delegates assembled 
 from the four quarters of the globe. The eighth 
 session was solemnly opened by the Jaco, President 
 of the Council. " Learned and pious divines," said 
 he, "we have arrived at the crisis of our delibera- 
 tions. All points of dispute have been happily 
 
298 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 adjusted, with the exception of one, and that one 
 the most important of all. We are agreed upon the 
 establishment of the kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth, 
 and of its essential characteristics. We all acknow- 
 ledge the necessity of a guide to conduct us thereto, 
 but which of the many rivals is the kingdom, and 
 which the genuine guide, is now the question for 
 discussion." 
 
 Hereupon, an Armenian priest, a Greek Bishop, 
 a Lutheran minister, and a dozen others, almost 
 simultaneously rose to their feet, urging in the most 
 earnest manner, and in the most vehement terms, 
 the excellence of their several systems. One adduced 
 the beauty of the principle of his Church, another 
 its wealth and power, a third its high antiquity, 
 a fourth the number and extent of its members. 
 But none of them advanced arguments sufficiently 
 forcible to make a serious impression upon the 
 Council. It was altogether ex-parte pleading. — 
 Nothing grand or comprehensive, corresponding 
 with the nature and dignity of the theme could 
 be detected in their remarks. There was nothing 
 in the thread of their several discourses that would 
 suitably comport with that sentiment which all had 
 cherished concerning that great establishment, des- 
 tined at one day to receive within its bosom all the 
 nations of the earth. When the Doctors had 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 299 
 
 exhausted their stock of argument, and fatigued 
 their controversial powers, all eyes were turned to 
 Xavier, whose powerful reasoning and burning elo- 
 quence had kept the minds and hearts of the entire 
 assembly ever busy and active during the preceding 
 session. 
 
 "Divines," said he, "this is an important moment, 
 important for all eternity, not for ourselves alone, 
 but for millions unborn. We are to discuss the 
 great, the only question that remains for our con- 
 sideration. When it will be settled all will have been 
 determined, and until then nothing can be said to 
 have been done. I therefore solicit of all, during 
 the course of the remarks I am about to make, that 
 patient and impartial hearing which the importance 
 of the subject demands of every honest man. The 
 guide of which we are in search," continued Xavier, 
 "may aptly be styled a band of teachers, teaching 
 the science of heaven to men on earth, for such in 
 .reality was the Apostolic College. Now such a 
 board consists of members and a president, asso- 
 ciated for the purpose of performing certain duties 
 These duties are, as we learn from the very Charter, 
 to c teach all nations, all things whatsoever Jesus has 
 commanded.' They must ' teach all nations/ then 
 members of that board must be found in all places, 
 in all countries, amongst all nations, and at all 
 
300 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 times, from the beginning of Christianity until- the 
 end of the world. You have now simply to cast 
 your eyes around the Christian world and endeavor 
 to discover that denomination which originated with 
 the Apostles, which spread itself throughout every 
 clime, comprising all tribes, all people, all tongues, 
 and which has continued to exist until the present 
 day. Where is such a denomination to be found? 
 Which of them is coeval with the Apostles ? The 
 Eastern denominations began with Arius, Nestorius 
 and Eutyches. The Grecian Church was begotten 
 by the schismatic Photius. The Lutheran sect dates 
 its existence from Luther. The Calvinistic from 
 Calvin. Not one of these dates back to the days 
 of the Apostles, each of them appearing many cen- 
 turies after the commencement of the Christian 
 Era. Again, which of these denominations teaches 
 all nations, itself existing in every land ? Is it 
 the Greek Church ? No ; it is confined mostly to 
 Greece. The Lutherans and Calvinists are chiefly 
 circumscribed within Europe, and if they have 
 existed in any other clime or country, they have 
 changed their tenets with their locality, constituting 
 themselves a distinct denomination. But above all, 
 which of all these denominations complies with that 
 essential duty enjoined by the Charter, c Go and 
 teach all nations?' What nation have the Greeks 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 301 
 
 taught ? What tribes have been made acquainted 
 with the Divine truths of Christianity through the 
 medium of the various sects of Protestantism ? 
 History, facts, answer, none, — positively none ! — 
 Distributing Bibles does not constitute fulfilment 
 of the Messiah's instruction ; it is rather an impo- 
 sition upon the unsuspecting and confiding. 
 
 "The genuine board of teachers, constituted by 
 Jesus on Mount Olivet, and confirmed on the day 
 of Pentecost, is not then to be found amongst any 
 of those denominations which I have enumerated." 
 
 "Great God!" exclaimed a Parson, "for what 
 times are we not reserved. To hear it asserted that 
 thy Spirit has departed from the children of men ; 
 that thy Church exists not on the earth ; that truth 
 does no longer abide with us ! Who can remain 
 silent under such language? Hast thou not pro- 
 mised to abide with us forever? And yet is this 
 Jesuit laboring to prove that Christianity is no 
 longer in being, and that all creeds have proved 
 faithless to the trust committed to them by their 
 Divine founder. What blasphemous denial of the 
 veracity of God !" 
 
 "Friend," answered Xavier, "this exhibition of 
 
 your zeal for the honor of God is premature. I 
 
 have only asserted that the Spirit of God does not 
 
 abide with the wicked, nor his truth irradiate the 
 
 26 
 
302 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 erring. I have only shown that there are many 
 who are not his, because they 'hear not his voice, 
 nor obey his commandments.' They are not his, 
 since they know him not. Many millions still remain 
 who have never bent the knee to Baal, nor gone 
 after the abominations of the Gentiles. But there is 
 a Christian people whose fountain-head is at Rome, 
 who have faithfully obeyed to this day the Charter 
 of Mount Olivet, and zealously complied with every 
 article of its injunctions. Do not then pervert my 
 remarks to imply that the Spirit of God has forsaken 
 all flesh. He still dwells in the midst of us. 
 
 " The identical board of teachers which was 
 formed and commissioned on Mount Olivet and con- 
 firmed on Pentecost, is not only existing at this very 
 day, but is discharging precisely the same functions 
 which it began to exercise more than fifteen hundred 
 years ago, in the City of Jerusalem. ■ Their sound 
 went forth from Jerusalem over all the earth, and 
 their words to the extremities of the world.' 'Go 
 and teach all nations.' 'And Peter standing up 
 with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to 
 them.' He began by teaching the house of Israel, 
 and the innumerable strangers who were then at 
 Jerusalem. From that first uprising,*Peter and the 
 eleven have not sitten down, nor held their peace, 
 until this very hour. For that same Peter, and 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 303 
 
 those very eleven are at this moment speaking in 
 Rome, and throughout the world, by their lineal and 
 acknowledged successors. From Jerusalem they 
 went forth into every province of the Roman 
 Empire; into Asia, Africa and Europe. I can 
 enumerate to you the very countries through which 
 they travelled, and name to you the very nations 
 which they instructed, and whose inhabitants they 
 received into the great kingdom in every century, 
 nay, in every year, that has elapsed, since the 
 memorable Pentecost, until the present hour, which 
 finds me lifting up my voice, in unison with Peter 
 in the Vatican, to address this great assemblage, 
 congregated from every region of the earth, and 
 which, I may say, presents the spectacle of another 
 Pentecost. And I call upon you, learned historians, 
 chroniclers, geographers, you, strangers and travel- 
 lers, who are here, wafted by the four winds of 
 heaven, to designate to us that epoch, year, or day, 
 at which this eternal board did ever suspend its 
 teachings ; to name to us that nation which it has 
 not taught, and to point out to us that clime, in 
 which it is not actually teaching on this very day. 
 I pause for an answer, but you have none to give. 
 
 "Do not say, then, that I have asserted that the 
 Spirit of God has departed from amongst us ; that 
 His truth is no more on earth, and that His Church 
 
304 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 thereon no longer exists. No, at this very day, does 
 it breathe, in all its celestial beauty, imperishable 
 glory, unparalleled fruitfulness. Its earthly head is 
 fixed amongst the Romans, and its temporal ruler is 
 seated on the throne of the Caesars. 
 
 " But not only is the genuine board of Mount 
 Olivet to teach all nations, it is moreover to teach 
 them all things commanded. J Go and teach all 
 nations, teaching them all things, whatsoever I have 
 commanded you.' Then, the teaching of this genuine 
 board must be strictly one and uniform in its cha- 
 racter, as performed by all its members. Should 
 one of them teach one article less than that which 
 he is commanded to teach, he teaches falsely, since 
 he teaches not all of that which is commanded. 
 And should another teach an article that is not 
 commanded, he, again, teaches falsely, since he 
 teaches that for which he is not empowered. Hence, 
 must the teaching of them all, be one, uniform and 
 the same. I say uniform, since it must disseminate 
 precisely the same doctrines to day, which were 
 promulgated by them yesterday, or a thousand 
 years ago, or which were taught by the Apostles 
 themselves. For, should they teach to-day, dif- 
 ferently from the substance which they taught 
 yesterday, or from the matter taught by the board 
 of Apostolic times, they would necessarily teach 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 305 
 
 more or less than is commanded, and in either case 
 would teach falsely. Hence, it must be absolutely 
 uniform, strictly one, precisely the same. 
 
 "Now, Divines, which of you is prepared to claim 
 this glorious hierarchy, and to prove .that it is 
 yours ? Arise, ye Greeks, Armenians, and all ye 
 Bible Christians, and I will make you confess that 
 this unity you do not possess, and that consequently, 
 you do not constitute the genuine board. For, in 
 the first place, I can designate to each of you, the 
 year and the day, when your founders, Nestorius, 
 Eutyches, Sabellius, Donatus, Luther, Calvin, and 
 the others, began to teach, in a manner different, 
 a matter unlike that which the Board of Olivet had 
 taught for several hundred years. Teaching more 
 or less than the things commanded by the great 
 charter, and taught by the Board of Mount Olivet, 
 you therefore stand divided from it. Besides, you 
 teach doctrines altogether different from the things 
 which your founders taught. Then you stand 
 divided even from your own ancestors. Again, you 
 teach, the one differently from the other, and thus 
 stand divided, even amongst* yourselves. The pre- 
 mises which I have assumed, are historical facts, 
 hence is the conclusion, which I deduce, irrefragable. 
 Hence disunion unparalleled, and divisions innumera- 
 ble, exist among you, and therefore you can possess 
 26* 
 
306 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 not the slightest claim to be the genuine board, 
 either in your separated or collective capacity. 
 
 " I must now request you to contemplate the ad- 
 mirable union of that great universal board which we 
 have found, actually occupied in teaching all nations, 
 and whose president dwells in the Eternal city. 
 You find its members differing as to their time or 
 place, in race and country, in manners, language, 
 interests and prejudices; differing in everything 
 except the common semblance of humanity; and 
 yet, in faith, in aspiration, and in the practice of 
 religion, they are as one man. The identical formula 
 of belief, which was drawn up by the Apostles 
 themselves at Jerusalem before they went forth into 
 the various countries of the earth, is at this day 
 recited, not in one place, but in every place illumi- 
 nated by the sun of heaven, not in one tongue, but 
 in every dialect spoken by the children of Adam. 
 Nothing has been added, nothing taken away from 
 it, during its sixteen hundred years continuance. 
 Not one idea, as to its substance, has been changed. 
 We have witnesses of the teaching of the Board of 
 Olivet of every age, fr6m the first until the present ; 
 of all nations and tongues ; and we defy the world 
 to point out to us one single instance in which the 
 teaching of one age differs from that of another, or 
 in which the teaching of one people, tongue, or 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 307 
 
 dialect, does not precisely correspond with the others 
 collectively, or with each of them separately. The 
 Arab and the Muscovite, the Gaul and the Hindoo, 
 the Greek and the Egyptian have the same creed 
 expounded to them which Peter and Paul expounded 
 to the people of Judea; and all these various peo- 
 ples and tongues profess and practise precisely that 
 which the Jews and Gentiles first converted, pro- 
 fessed and practised. Here, then, you have that 
 real union which the Charter of Olivet requires, and 
 which is possessed only by the great board over 
 which Peter presides. And this union is incapable 
 of dissolution or destruction ; for when any member 
 begins to teach differently from the standard of the 
 board at once does his membership cease, and no 
 longer is his doctrine vouched for by the infallible 
 board. It becomes nought but the opinion of a 
 fallible man. Hence can we name the very day on 
 which the innovators of past ages ceased to be mem- 
 bers of the board, and hence can we cite to you the 
 innovating dogmas which severed them therefrom. 
 
 "Again, as you have seen, the genuine board is 
 to teach the things commanded by Jesus ; but Jesus, 
 who is the holy one of Israel, the God of sanctity, 
 must necessarily command the practice of holy 
 things ; hence the teaching of this delegated body 
 must be holy in its character. And since the things 
 
308 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 which the genuine instructors teach are to be re- 
 ceived and practised by the people taught ; this 
 sacred instruction must produce fruit of a like kind, 
 for His word cannot return to Him incapable of 
 producing the effects for which it was spoken. 
 Holiness, then, must be the visible feature of the 
 kingdom instructed by the genuine board. Besides, 
 Jesus has promised to remain forever with this body : 
 6 Behold I am with you always until the end of 
 the world.' But he could not be with those teaching 
 unholy things; hence, again, must the genuine 
 board forever teach holiness. And more than this, 
 God, according to his own promise, as is recorded 
 by the Evangelist Luke, was to bear public testi- 
 mony to the holiness of the Church. ' And these 
 signs shall follow them that believe in my name; 
 they shall cast out devils ; they shall speak with 
 new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if 
 they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ; 
 they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they 
 shall recover.' 'But they going forth preached 
 everywhere, the Lord working withal and confirming 
 the word with signs that followed.' Hence must 
 this board, established by Christ, be distinguished 
 not only by holiness of doctrine, by the holiness 
 of good works, but must be openly approved by the 
 display of miracles, and wondrous signs, which 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 309 
 
 God must, and at times does grant in confirmation 
 of the teaching done in his name. 
 
 " I must now ask you, which of the innumerable 
 Christian denominations here represented, lays claim 
 to, and truly does possess this threefold sanctity of 
 doctrines, works and miracles. Many of you do not 
 blush to make God the author of sin, which is blas- 
 phemy. And all of you make him faithless to his 
 word and solemn promises : for all of you have sepa- 
 rated from this board of Olivet, under the pretext 
 that it has fallen into error, which is contrary to the 
 asseveration of the living God, saying, * Behold I am 
 with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
 world.' And you assert that you are not with them 
 because they have gone astray, in consequence of 
 which, you urge rebellion against that board, which 
 is rebellion against God, — the sin of Lucifer and his 
 wicked crew. Is this sanctity of doctrine ? Be 
 yourselves the judges. And have you sanctity of 
 works ? Many of you deem them unnecessary, and 
 even noxious. You contemn the Evangelical coun- 
 sels so highly recommended by Jesus. Not one of 
 you so much as pretends to exhibit a Calendar of 
 Saints. As for miracles, you all heartily despise 
 them. Now we cannot concede to you, what you do 
 not even claim. Hence you are destitute of holiness 
 of doctrine, of works and of miracles : and conse- 
 
310 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 quently, you can have no pretensions to be the 
 genuine board of teachers, to which this threefold 
 holiness belongs. 
 
 " Let us now turn our eyes to that great corpora- 
 tion, whose earthly parent is at Rome, and which 
 is presided over by the chief of the fishermen, and 
 we will find holiness to be the most brilliant jewel in 
 its resplendent crown. It possesses holiness of doc- 
 trine, teaching, that though heaven and earth should 
 pass away, the promises of Jesus will not fail. It 
 teaches that the Church still is, and must continue to 
 be, the pure, immaculate spouse of Jesus. It pro- 
 poses to our implicit belief, the holy dogmas of the 
 ever blessed Trinity, of the incarnation of Jesus 
 Christ, and of the redemption of mankind conse- 
 quent from his death. It teaches Salvation through 
 the merits of Christ, the efficacy of the Sacraments, 
 the unbloody sacrifice of the Eucharist, the indisso- 
 lubility of Matrimony, and other sacred dogmas ; 
 hence, it eminently possesses holiness of doctrine. 
 
 " And this teaching has in all ages produced its 
 abundant fruit. Open the annals of that wonderful 
 Church, inspect the calendar of her Saints and 
 heroes, and you will acknowledge that in her is the 
 vision of John literally verified : — ' and behold after 
 this I saw a great multitude, which no man could 
 number, of all nations, and tribes, and people, and 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 311 
 
 tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of 
 the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms 
 in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice, say- 
 ing: Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the 
 throne, and to the Lamb.' I now ask you, with one 
 of the ancients, — these that are clothed in white 
 robes, who are they ? and whence came they ? And 
 I answer you, they are, as you know, the Catholic 
 martyrs who in every age have come out of much 
 tribulation, and in every clime of the earth have 
 washed their robes, and have made them white in the 
 blood of the Lamb. They are the fifty thousand 
 virgins of the Church, of all tribes, and peoples, 
 and tongues, who, free from defilement, chaunt day 
 and night, even at this very time, the praises of the 
 Lamb in every region under heaven. They are the 
 glorious troop of confessors, who have, and who still 
 do, praise and glorify his name before kings and 
 princes, to the uttermost bounds of the earth. They 
 are the holy anchorites who inhabit rocks, and caves, 
 and deserts, filling with the praises of God, the air 
 where before the sound of wild beasts resounded, 
 and human voices had not been heard. In a word, 
 they are the fifty thousand elders, ministers of the 
 same sanctuary, offering amid praises, and homage, 
 and incense, the unbloody sacrifice, the clean obla- 
 tion, daily, from the rising to the setting of the sun, 
 
 
312 JITSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 in every clime illuminated by its rays. This glori- 
 ous spectacle is exhibited nowhere, except in the 
 great kingdom which Peter rules. 
 
 " But more especially, has the teaching of this 
 kingdom been attested by miracles and wondrous 
 signs, not in one age or country only, but in every 
 age and clime, from the day of its existence to the 
 present hour. Always have the instructions of this 
 glorious board* been i confirmed by signs that fol- 
 lowed.' The twelve began to speak in new tongues 
 on the day of Pentecost ; they healed the sick, they 
 cast out devils, they raised the dead to life. Their 
 successors have done the same whenever necessity 
 required it, throughout subsequent ages. Yes, until 
 our very day, and upon this point, I feel myself 
 bound solemnly to insist, for the honor and glory of 
 the God, whom I have come to announce to the 
 Japonians, despite the violence and pain it may 
 inflict upon my natural feeling. Yes, these wonders 
 have been wrought even by my own unworthy hand, 
 through the power of that God, who strengthens me. 
 I am, indeed, the most unworthy minister of the 
 Church of the great Messiah. I can do nothing of 
 myself, but can do all things with the Apostle of the 
 Gentiles, in him that strengthens me, Jesus of Naza- 
 reth. Have I not healed your sick ? Have I not 
 banished evil spirits from amongst you ? Have I 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 313 
 
 not restored your dead to life in the name of Jesus ? 
 Bear testimony to the truth, candid princes and 
 people of Japan!" "Great minister of Jesus," 
 exclaimed an hundred voices, "these wonders we 
 have witnessed, and bear willing testimony to the 
 truth. All honor and glory to the mighty God who 
 has lent you his right arm to loosen the bonds of 
 death, and given strength to your voice to cause the 
 withered limb to grow strong and vigorous in an 
 instant." " Then," continued Xavier, " if you 
 admit the fact, do not deny the consequences. The 
 wonders which God has operated through my minis- 
 try, were wrought in confirmation of the truth of the 
 doctrine which I have come to announce to you. 
 But these miracles can only be performed by the 
 power of God ; therefore, the doctrine in whose 
 confirmation they were wrought, is necessarily true, 
 since the Almighty could not lend his power to the 
 operation of works, confirmatory of a false doctrine. 
 Hence is that creed which I announce to you, sus- 
 tained by the authority of God himself. And this 
 doctrine is not mine, but the doctrine of that glori- 
 ous board over which Peter presides. This board, 
 then, is also the true and genuine one, commissioned 
 to teach all nations, all things commanded. 
 
 " Holiness, therefore, that great and glorious 
 
 characteristic of the privileged board constituted 
 
 27 
 
314 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 on Mount Olivet, and confirmed on the day of 
 Pentecost, belongs exclusively to the Church 
 over which Peter presides at Rome, and is the 
 board instituted and commissioned by Jesus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 " The genuine board must also be Apostolic ; for, 
 it was said to the Apostles, * go and teach all na- 
 tions ;' and it was with the Apostles, and with them 
 only, that Jesus promised to remain, ■ behold I am 
 with you all days.' None then can be genuine 
 teachers except those who are actually incorporated 
 with the Apostolic Board, and who form one and the 
 same communion with them at this very day. 
 
 " Now, we all know the year and day when each 
 of you, like Judas, went his own way, and was thus 
 deprived of the Apostleship. The very names which 
 you bear show that you belong to a corporation 
 distinct from that of the Apostolic College. 
 You belong to the school of Arius, of Nestorius, 
 of Eutyches, of Luther and Calvin, and others; 
 but the Apostleship was withdrawn from Arius, and 
 Luther, and Calvin ; therefore you belong to a 
 board, rejected by, and separate from, that 
 genuine one, formed on Mount Olivet, of Apostles 
 exclusively. 
 
 " There is but one denomination of Christians to 
 whom Apostolicity rightfully belongs. They alone 
 
THE TRUE GUIDE IDENTIFIED. 315 
 
 can trace their origin up to the very mountain where 
 the great corporation was formed; even into the 
 very apartment where it was ratified by the Holy 
 Spirit. The very same Peter, who addressed the 
 multitude at Jerusalem, addresses this very day the 
 multitude at Rome, by his direct successor, who in- 
 herits Peter's Apostleship from predecessors, form- 
 ing one straight, uninterrupted, unbroken line, from 
 the first to the present century. Hence, when a 
 teacher, coming from this great spiritual communion 
 to instruct you, is asked, * who has sent you to us V 
 he may point to his immediate Bishop^ who com- 
 missioned him to go and teach. And if that Bishop 
 in turn be questioned concerning his own mission; 
 he may direct you to the reigning Pontiff, who has 
 commissioned him. And should the Pontiff himself 
 be asked for his authority, he falls back on his im- 
 mediate predecessor, and that predecessor on another 
 one, and in like manner may answer all the others, 
 until the questioner is referred to the very rock on 
 which the edifice itself rests." 
 
 " Cannot we, in like manner," interrupted a par- 
 son, " fall back on our immediate teachers, and they 
 on theirs, and thus on in a mode similar to that you 
 mention?" 
 
 "Yes," observed Xavier, "you can, but you will 
 soon stumble on, but not over, Luther or Calvin, 
 
316 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 and thereby be thrown off the Apostolic track. 
 Whosoever does not sow with Rome, scattereth' 
 which will appear still more evident from a closer 
 inspection into the nature of the great corporation 
 or teaching faculty, and into the character of its 
 functions." 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 317 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE CHURCH OF ROME — ITS CHIEF INFALLIBLE. 
 
 The nature of the function to be performed by the Teaching 
 Church, requires that it have a common organ, a centre of 
 unity. — Such an infallible organ has been established in the 
 Church founded on Mount Olivet, in the person of Peter. — 
 The circumstances of his appointment. — The character of his 
 office. — Its functions are actually exercised by him, and have 
 been since the death of the Saviour, with the knowledge and 
 consent of the whole Christian world. — Then, wherever Peter 
 is, there do we find the true establishment founded by Jesus 
 for the instruction of mankind. 
 
 "Let it be understood," continued Xavier, "that 
 I have used, and for the sake of variety, will con- 
 tinue to use Corporation, Board, Faculty, &c, as 
 synonymous terms, wishing -to signify by each of 
 them the Teaching Church. Now the nature of 
 the functions of this faculty is teaching: 'go and 
 teach ;' and ' teaching all nations all things com- 
 manded:' 'go and teach all nations whatsoever I 
 have commanded you.' And this teaching is to be 
 infallible, 'behold I am with you all days.' And 
 since all nations are to be taught,- this teaching 
 must necessarily go on in various places at the same 
 time. And since all things are to be taught to all 
 
 nations, the teaching must be one and uniform. 
 
 27* 
 
318 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 Now the faculty cannot possibly teach collectively, 
 in different places, at one and the same time. Then 
 it must teach separately by its individual members in 
 different places. And, as the teaching is invariably 
 one and uniform, all these different members are to 
 teach precisely the same things. The teaching is 
 not only to be one and uniform, but moreover 
 infallible; * behold, I am with you all days.' But 
 as individual members they cannot teach infallibly, 
 for infallibility has only been granted to the faculty 
 collectively as a body, not to its individual members. 
 Individuals, then, to teach infallibly, must teach by 
 the authority and the sanction of the faculty. And 
 yet that faculty is scattered throughout the world, 
 and is but seldom assembled together for the pur- 
 pose of formally transacting business. 
 
 " From this it absolutely follows that the faculty 
 must have a common and permanent organ of con- 
 stant communication with all its members. There 
 must be a common centre, where may meet all 
 the members ; a common heart, from which the 
 pulsations of vitality may extend to all; a com- 
 mon head which may give stability and character 
 to the whole; a common judge to settle all differ- 
 ences and disputes ; in a word, a common father to 
 correct, reprove and instruct, such a one among 
 men as Jesus was amongst his disciples. And 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 319 
 
 this head, to answer all the purposes and consum- 
 mate the ends and objects for which the faculty 
 was created, must necessarily have all the power, 
 authority and influence of the faculty itself, and 
 must therefore be infallible. In the course of time 
 questions of doctrine and discipline must and will 
 arise amongst so many nations of different times 
 and places, of different habits, interests and educa- 
 tion. Now, to determine such questions, the whole 
 faculty is not always expected to meet. The very 
 nature of things forbids even the supposition. And 
 yet these questions must be settled. Nothing then 
 can be more natural, nothing more proper than that 
 they should be settled by the head, the presiding 
 officer of the faculty. But if he be required to 
 settle disputes and terminate doubts authoritatively, 
 he must needs be infallible. Why so ? Simply 
 because there could be not only no obligation, but 
 not even an inducement for the disputants to appeal 
 to a fallible judge, much less to acquiesce in his 
 decisions. The head of the faculty then must be 
 absolutely infallible." 
 
 "Your argument in favor of a common chief 
 of the faculty, always ready to act in its name," 
 exclaimed a Parson, " amounts simply to this. — 
 There ought to be a common centre, a head of 
 the faculty ; it is necessary there should be, there- 
 
320 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 fore this head does exist. I do not see how we 
 can legitimately infer the existence of a thing from 
 its mere expediency and necessity." 
 
 "God himself," answered Xavier, "is the author 
 of the great corporation which has been established 
 to instruct the world in the knowledge of his eternal 
 truths, and God. himself has designated certain duties 
 to be performed by it. If then the corporation can- 
 not perform these duties without a chief, as we have 
 mentioned, God is solemnly bound to appoint him, 
 otherwise he would require duties of a body, which 
 that body is not able to perform, which would argue 
 folly, injustice, and even cruelty in the wise Author 
 of nature, which it is impious to suppose. But we 
 have shown that the corporation of Olivet could not 
 under existing circumstances have performed the 
 functions which God had imposed upon it without 
 such a common chief, always ready to act authori- 
 tatively in the name and by the authority of the 
 corporation, hence God was bound to appoint such 
 a chief the head and centre of the great institution 
 of which we are speaking. But we have more than 
 even this. We have positive proof that a chief has 
 really been appointed over the corporation. "And 
 this we learn from the very same historians from 
 whom we have ascertained the existence of the 
 corporation itself. And not only do we learn the 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 321 
 
 fact of his appointment, but also the powers, duties 
 and privileges which have been conceded to him 
 for the fulfilment of the important trust which his 
 exalted station requires him to perform. " 
 
 " Amongst the twelve members forming the origi- 
 nal Corporation as established on Mount Olivet, we 
 find one always distinguished in some way or other, 
 from his companions, not by his Divine Master only, 
 but by his companions also. We find that this 
 individual is on all occasions either the speaker, the 
 principal actor, the recipient of some favor, or is 
 specially marked from the rest. When Matthew 
 enumerates the twelve, he says of him, 'the first 
 Simon, who is called Peter.' The other Evangelists 
 put Peter invariably in the first place, whilst they 
 observe no fixed order with regard to the other Apos- 
 tles. Why is this ? Was Peter the oldest of the 
 Apostles ? No, his brother Andrew was older than 
 he. Was he loved by the Saviour above the others ? 
 No, John was the beloved disciple, and was permitted 
 to recline on his master's breast, whilst Peter re- 
 ceived a severe rebuke. Was he distinguished for 
 learning, wealth, talent, or worldly station ? No, 
 in all these attributes Matthew far outshone him. 
 Peter was a poor, simple, ignorant fisherman. Was 
 he the first that was called to the Apostleship ? No, 
 for his brother Andrew brought him to the Saviour. 
 
322 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 'We have found,' said Andrew to Peter, 'the Mes- 
 siah.' Why, then, is Peter always mentioned first ? 
 Why does he always occupy the most conspicuous 
 place after his Divine master ? Because he was 
 destined to be the chief, the head of the great cor- 
 poration which Jesus had come to establish. 
 
 " This appears evident, from the very first intro- 
 duction which Peter had to the Saviour of the 
 world. When Andrew brought him to Jesus, the 
 Saviour on seeing him, said, ' Thou shalt be called 
 Cephas — that is a rock.' His vicar stands before 
 him, and Jesus changes at once his name into one 
 expressive of the character which he is henceforth 
 to sustain, which is, like a rock, unchanged and 
 unchangeable. 
 
 " A little later the Saviour found himself in the 
 midst of his Apostles, who were telling one another 
 the opinions of the people at large concerning Jesus. 
 He desired them to repeat to him their various 
 accounts. Some replied, 'they say you are John 
 the Baptist, others that you are Elias, or one of the 
 prophets.' Then Jesus said, ' And who do you say 
 I am?' The disciples looking at each other, knew 
 not what to reply. Then Peter stepping forward, 
 answered in the name of all, 'thou art Christ, the 
 son of the living God.' Here, then, whilst the others 
 were wavering, hesitating for an answer, he showed 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 323 
 
 that he had within him somewhat of the firmness of 
 a rock, to which his name had been mysteriously 
 changed. He firmly confessed that which was the 
 truth. The answer is accepted by Jesus, ' Blessed 
 art thou Simon, son of Jona, because flesh and 
 blood have not revealed it to thee, but my Father 
 who is in heaven. And I say unto you that thou 
 art Peter, (a rock,) and upon this rock I will build 
 my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against it ; and I will give to thee the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind 
 upon earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever 
 thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed also in 
 heaven/ Matt, xvi., v. 17, 18, 19. 
 
 "Here the Saviour of the world expressly and 
 emphatically declares that flesh and blood have not 
 caused him to make this splendid declaration of his 
 Divinity ; but his Father in heaven ; in other words, 
 that it was not to Peter in his individual capacity, 
 but in the character of head and chief of the Apos- 
 tolic College, that he declared Christ- to be the Son 
 of the living God. The Saviour here solemnly con- 
 firms what he had said before, that Peter is a rock, 
 and that upon this very rock he is to build his 
 church, which is to be so firm, durable, and lasting, 
 that the gates of hell can never prevail against it. 
 Not satisfied with this emphatic declaration, and to 
 
324 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 indicate more directly the position which he is to 
 occupy in this new establishment, he even promises 
 to him the keys. Now, it is a well known fact, that 
 the holding of the keys denotes supreme authority, 
 and in this light it is regarded, especially by the 
 eastern nations, where the above events transpired. 
 Therefore, has Peter been appointed the chief of the 
 new establishment by Christ himself. 
 
 "And what is the nature of those duties which he 
 is to discharge in the corporation of which he is the 
 head and president? The Evangelist John defines 
 them in distinct terms ; he is to feed the lambs and 
 sheep of Christ. When, therefore, they had dined, 
 Jesus saith to Simon Peter, < Simon, son of John, 
 lovest thou me more than these ?' He says to him, 
 4 Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.' The 
 Saviour then says to him, 'Feed my lambs.' He 
 saith to him again, * Simon, son of John, lovest thou 
 me ?' He saith to him, ' Yea, Lord, thou knowest 
 that I love thee." He saith to him, ' Feed my lambs.' 
 He says to him the third time, 'Peter, son of John, 
 lovest thou me?' Peter was grieved because he 
 said to him the third time — lovest thou me. And 
 he said to him, ' Lord, thou knowest all things, thou 
 knowest that I love thee.' And he said to him, 
 'Feed my sheep.' Peter, therefore, is not only to 
 feed the lambs, but also the sheep. The lambs and 
 
THE CHUECH OF ROME. 325 
 
 sheep constitute the entire flock of Christ ; therefore 
 is he to feed the entire flock, — the teachers and the 
 taught. He is to guide and defend the flock from 
 ravenous wolves, to lead them to wholesome pastur- 
 age, and to preserve them from poisonous weeds. 
 
 "And this office he is to fulfil, performing its 
 functions with infallible security; so that any one 
 following him need not be apprehensive of going 
 astray. ' Simon, Simon,' said Jesus, 'behold Satan 
 has desired to have you, that he may sift you like 
 wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail 
 not, — and thou being once converted, confirm thy 
 brethren.' Why did the Saviour pray for Peter in 
 particular ? Because, he being the head, had to con- 
 firm his brethren, the rest of the Apostles ; but that 
 he might be able to confirm them, it was necessary 
 that he himself should be firm like a rock. Errors 
 of individual teachers might not be attended with 
 serious consequences, but it would be otherwise with 
 a leader and chief, diverging from the proper path- 
 way. Hence it was, that Jesus prayed for Peter in 
 an especial manner, that his faith might not fail; 
 tut the prayers of Jesus are necessarily efficacious, 
 being always heard on account of his gtfeat reve- 
 rence. Therefore, the faith of Peter is the true 
 faith, which Jesus came to found upon the earth. 
 
 " And how long is Peter to feed the lambs and 
 
 28 
 
326 JUSTO UCIJNDONO. 
 
 the sheep of Christ? So long as the flock itself 
 shall exist, which is till the end of ages. He is the 
 head of the corporation to which has been committed 
 the task of instructing all nations in all things 
 regarding heaven. So long, therefore, as there 
 remains a single nation on the earth, so long must 
 the teaching Church exist, and as long as the 
 Church is, she must have a head, and so long as 
 there be a flock there must be a shepherd to guide 
 and confirm it ; therefore, must Peter remain, con- 
 firming his brethren, feeding the sheep and the 
 lambs, until the last nation shall have disappeared 
 from the earth. But Peter has long since ceased, 
 personally, to exist ; therefore, he is, and moves, 
 and lives, in his successors. Our Peter is the pre- 
 sent reigning Pontiff. 
 
 " But is there any evidence to show that Peter 
 did actually exercise the high functions of feeding 
 the lambs and the sheep, and of confirming his 
 brethren ? During the life-time of his Divine master 
 he had no occasion for exercising these high func- 
 tions, but immediately after the death of the latter, 
 Peter evidently took his place. Peter was the first 
 to behold the Saviour, after he had arisen from the 
 dead, and it was he who communicated the impor- 
 tant fact to the other apostles, which obtained 
 credence among them only, when Peter had attested 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 327 
 
 it. Peter was the first to preach to the Jews, and 
 it was he who received the first converts into the 
 church. He was the first to announce the Gospel 
 to the Gentiles, and thus did he begin to feed the 
 lambs. And when the traitor Judas, had forsaken 
 them, gone his way, it was Peter who proposed 
 the plan to fill the place of the fallen Apostle. In 
 the first Council of Jerusalem, again, Peter is the 
 first to speak conclusively, and give his decision on 
 the matter in debate. The rest act upon it, and 
 the cause is terminated. We find that Paul the 
 Apostle of the Gentiles, comes to Jerusalem to give 
 an account of his labors to Peter, as the chief of the 
 glorious board. Now all these circumstances prove, 
 that Peter was not only the acknowledged head of 
 the rest, but that he constantly acted as such. 
 
 " Subsequently, ecclesiastical history informs us, 
 Peter fixed his See at Antioch, and it is a very 
 remarkable fact, and one full of mysterious import, 
 that in the city where the Vicar of Christ first 
 fixed his home, the followers of Christ first received 
 their true appellation of Christians, which they 
 have ever since continued, and ever will continue 
 to bear. Antioch, however, was not destined to be 
 the capital of the new kingdom, but Rome, the seat 
 of earthly dominion, was designed to form the 
 centre of the spiritual empire. And may we not 
 
328 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 conjecture that the great ruler of nations raised 
 the Eternal City to greatness, for the very reason 
 that he designed it to become the seat of spiritual 
 power ? Peter, aware of the coming change, trans- 
 ferred his See from Antioch to Rome. He occupied 
 the Capital of the Caesars for twenty-five years, 
 exercising the functions of his high office, after 
 which he died the death foretold him by his master 
 at the very time, at which he received the great 
 commission of feeding the sheep and the lambs. 
 He died a martyr to the faith he professed, and 
 to the office he held. Like his Divine Master, he 
 expired between heaven and earth, suspended on a 
 cross. Peter, the chief of the great Corporation, 
 died, — but the office, and the See remained. From 
 its portal he steps into the house of death ; but at 
 the door stands another ready to take his place. 
 No sooner had the great Apostle died as a martyr, 
 than Linus occupied his place as the Confessor. 
 And when this Confessor is again changed into 
 the martyr, another is again at hand to follow in 
 his glorious path ; and thus has the succession been 
 continued until the present day. 
 
 "It has already been admitted by this august 
 Council that Jesus of Nazareth has founded on earth 
 a Teaching Church, a visible infallible guide to lead 
 men into the ways of truth. But this honor having 
 been claimed by so many rival churches, it became 
 
THE CHURCH OF ROME. 329 
 
 necessary, that in order the more properly to deter- 
 mine this important question, a precise description 
 of the nature and characteristics of this true and 
 genuine establishment should be given. This indis- 
 pensable want I have endeavored to supply by a 
 detailed account of the principal features of the 
 great visible chief of the church. Providence seems 
 to have designed and willed, that his office, his position 
 and his characteristics should be so deeply impressed 
 upon him, and so strongly apparent from his attri- 
 butes, that it would be impossible, even for the blind, 
 to mistake his spiritual identity. I have related 
 these essential points as the great founder of the 
 Church has impressed them upon his work ; and we 
 have simply to look around us in order to discover 
 them, such as I have described them. The truth 
 can now no longer be disguised. Incapable of 
 denial, it can and must be openly avowed. Where- 
 ever Peter is, there is the true Church of Jesus. 
 Peter is the rock on which is reared the mighty 
 edifice of God's earthly mansion, and whenever or 
 wherever that rock is not to be found, we look in 
 vain for the memorial of man's redemption. ' Thou 
 art Peter, that is, a rock, and upon this rock, I will 
 build my church, and the gates of hell shall not pre- 
 vaila gainst it.' Heaven and earth will pass away ; 
 but these words of Jesus will ever remain. This 
 
 solemn asseveration of a God must be accomplished." 
 
 28* 
 
330 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 
 
 Peter is found in no denomination, except in the Roman Catholic. 
 It then is the true Church of the Saviour. There Peter feeds the 
 lambs and the sheep, and confirms his brethren. The wonderful 
 career of this spiritual monarch, — from Judea he extends his 
 dominion over the entire globe. The fate of those "who have risen 
 against him, or separated themselves from him. The concluding 
 address of Justo. His review of the whole. He makes a solemn 
 profession of faith. Many princes and five hundred divines fol- 
 low his example. The dying confession and prayer of Rosalia, 
 the Empress. Council dissolved. Conclusion. 
 
 "I must now ask you to cast your eyes around the 
 Christian world for the realization of the glorious 
 establishment wherein Peter presides, confirming his 
 brethren, feeding the sheep and the lambs. Is Peter 
 again at Antioch, Jerusalem or Constantinople ? 
 No,— for those are fallen, desolate provinces of 
 the great empire, which has itself departed from 
 amongst nations. Its inhabitants are now the 
 handmaids and slaves of the haughty followers of 
 the prophet. Their character, faith, national spirit, 
 have all ceased to burn. They are faded leaves and 
 withered branches, fallen from the tree of life. 
 There is no shepherd there to guard the erring and 
 the abandoned flock ; hence they are being devoured 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 331 
 
 by ravenous wolves. Is Peter amongst the Bible 
 Christians ? Ah, no ! those hate and fear his crook 
 and key, as rebel angels feared the sword of 
 Michael. To Rome then, divines, to Rome, the 
 hand of the compass of reason turns and points, no 
 matter what oceans and seas we ride, no matter 
 at what inclination our bark is sailing. Rome is 
 the only harbor of safety, against the dark and 
 fearful tempest of error and doubt. Here is the 
 home of that great captain,, who has so often 
 directed the vessel of Christianity through the 
 raging seas, and the angry gales, by which she has 
 been menaced for fifteen hundred years. His is the 
 only bark, and he the only pilot, that we .-may 
 trust." 
 
 "Ah!" exclaimed a parson, "you are throwing 
 off the mask in good earnest. Your Jesuitism is 
 becoming fully apparent. There was no need of all 
 these winding ways, the employment of all these 
 tortuous arguments, to arrive at this conclusion. 
 Why not, instead, direct us straightway to Rome ?" 
 
 " The way to Rome, is indeed direct and easy," 
 answered Xavier, " but I found you entangled in the 
 mazes of error, from which it was not possible to ex- 
 tricate you, without traversing at times, a serpentine 
 line. Why will you become choleric because I have 
 told you the truth ? Should I ask you for the rising 
 
332 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 sun, you would point to the East. It is not your 
 fault, however, that it rises there. So when you ask 
 of me, the shepherd of the Saviour's flock, — I must 
 point you to Rome. It is there that the chief of the 
 Empire of Olivet resides. It is not I who have 
 appointed him, or assigned him ^is residence. But 
 I know that there he dwells, and who can attach 
 blame to me, for solemnly declaring the fact ? Yes ! 
 Peter is at Rome, and there has been for upwards of 
 fifteen hundred years, exercising the high functions 
 assigned him by his heavenly master. Fifteen hun- 
 dred years have acknowledged him the chief of the 
 Universal Church. During all that time, he has fed 
 the lambs and sheep of Christ, and confirmed his 
 brethren. No Bishop has been appointed without 
 his approval ; no Council has been convened without 
 his sanction ; he is not only the head, but the heart, 
 the life and soul of the great corporation, the teach- 
 ing Church. Those whom Peter has anathematized 
 have faded like blasted leaves, and fallen from the 
 tree ; und those whom he has blessed, have bloomed 
 and fructified like fertile olive plants, around the 
 holy city. 
 
 " For fifteen hundred years, have the powers of 
 earth and hell, stood in wild and stormy array 
 against the throne of Peter. Infidelity, heresy and 
 crime, have dashed their angry and noisy billows 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 333 
 
 again and again, against the aged rock : yet still it 
 stands, its crest calmly surveying the elevated skies, 
 whilst they, riven into a thousand waves, have been 
 hurled back, their shock unfelt, their force forever 
 prostrated. Pontiffs have been imprisoned, exiled, 
 martyred ; but scarcely had one obtained the holy 
 crown, when his successor stood ready to assume his 
 duties, prepared to enter the field of trial. And 
 what do we see in the end? There, in his successor, 
 sits Peter, on the everlasting rock, the acknow- 
 ledged chief of two hundred millions of souls. 
 There does he sit, feeding his millions of lambs and 
 his thousands of sheep, and confirming his mighty 
 progeny of brethren, guarded by kings, and by 
 nations served ; — the true shepherd of Israel, the 
 potent representative of Jesus upon earth. And 
 there he will continue to rule, until the heavens shall 
 pass away, and the earth sink back into the chaos 
 from which it sprung. For if the prayer of a God 
 availeth aught, then the faith of Peter cannot fail. 
 
 " Let us view the course of this spiritual monarch, 
 whose throne is fixed in the ancient city. We first 
 see him as the master of a small fishing boat, 
 floating on the Lake Genezareth. After the mira- 
 culous draught of fishes, he abandons his nets, to 
 follow a reputed adventurer. For a time, he seems 
 artless and bold, yet when the crisis comes, trembles 
 
334 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 at the voice of a weak servant maid. His master 
 returns. Then is he roused from his slumbers, and 
 like the awaking lion, shaking off the dew-drops of 
 repose, he gave vent to the word of truth, with a 
 voice which shook the aged synagogue to its centre, 
 whilst the neighboring idols tottered on their bases. 
 He speaks the word of truth, and instantly are three 
 thousand hearts changed. He speaks again, and 
 five thousand respond and believe. He addresses 
 the Jew, and the Jew hearkens and obeys the in- 
 spired command. He speaks to the Gentile, and 
 instantly does he betake himself to the path of Sal- 
 vation. In a few years, all Palestine follows his 
 footsteps, Syria, Egypt and Abyssinia, are incorpo- 
 rated into his empire. He fixes his seat at Antioch, 
 and subdues Asia Minor, Arabia, Scythia, Parthia, 
 and the distant Indies. The fragments of the 
 Grecian and Persian Empires, swell and augment 
 his dominions. From Antioch, he turns his victori- 
 ous course to the cultivated West, and selects the 
 capital of Jove, for his seat of Empire. Erom 
 Rome, he sends forth his brave lieutenants, to 
 subdue the Gauls, and Spaniards, and Germans. 
 England and Ireland are invaded and won over to 
 his mighty empire. A new world is discovered, and 
 forthwith, he annexes it to his domain. In fine, 
 there is no empire, kingdom or province, there is no 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 335 
 
 city or town, no continent or isle inhabited by men, 
 where the rule of this mighty monarch is not felt, 
 where his laws are not obeyed, and where his 
 memory is not blessed. Show me another Peter 
 like unto this, and I will ever follow his guidance, 
 for surely he must be the anointed of heaven, to 
 feed the lambs and sheep and to confirm his 
 brethren. 
 
 " No hand has ever been raised against Peter's 
 head that has not withered and decayed. No power 
 has attempted to resist him that has not melted like 
 wax before the heated furnace, and disappeared from 
 the earth. Nero began the fatal attempt, and, like 
 the dews of heaven, his power faded; his name 
 and memory remained but to be execrated and 
 despised by all succeeding generations. The proud 
 Emperors of the East next entered the field of 
 contest against the prerogatives of Peter. Their 
 power is blasted and their strength has departed; 
 humbled and degraded, they serve a haughty Sultan, 
 whilst their people are reduced to bondage of body 
 and soul. The Huns, too, began — and ended. So 
 the Goths essayed — and failed. The Vandals pur- 
 sued their track of blood and rapine ; they assailed the 
 rock — they were vanquished, ruined and disgraced. 
 Then the bloody Crescent arises, upheld by wild 
 enthusiasm, borne on by fanaticism and rage ; and, 
 
336 JUSTO TJCUNDONO. 
 
 backed by the strength of a hundred millions, it 
 dashes furiously its might against the rock, vowing 
 the destruction of the Cross and its followers. Peter 
 prays— the Crescent flags — its followers turn pale — 
 its soul is overawed — its spirit crushed — its power 
 vanquished. It is compelled to sue for peace, whilst 
 the standard of Peter blazes forth in all its pride 
 and glory from the highest of the seven hills. Other 
 Goths and Vandals arise, like swarms of locusts, in 
 the bosom of the Church, and headed by a mad- 
 dened monk, advance their mighty armies against 
 unprotected Rome. Peter utters the word of male- 
 diction. Their heads are crazed, their counsels 
 confounded, their plans defeated. The hand of 
 every man of them is turned against his neighbor, 
 whilst Peter soars in triumph over the field of battle. 
 To his power there shall be no end ; his dominion 
 will constantly increase, and his name grow greater 
 and greater as long as the sun and the moon irradiate 
 our sphere." 
 
 Xavier took his seat amid universal applause. 
 Prince Justo then arose and addressed the Council 
 to the following effect : " Divines, I thank you, one 
 and all, for the deep interest you have evinced in 
 the investigation of this most important question, 
 which so long and properly has claimed the attention 
 of men, and for the great service you have ren- 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 337 
 
 dered me in arriving at its happy solution. You 
 have opened to me a new world, with new scenes, 
 new hopes, new prospects. You have disclosed to 
 Japan and her rulers a new and glorious destiny, of 
 which before we were unconscious. 
 
 " I have learned from you, and I shall ever glory 
 in professing it, that there is but one supreme God, 
 creator and ruler of the Universe ; the rewarder of 
 virtue, the punisher of vice. Until now, this God 
 has never been known to us or our fathers; and 
 hence, heretofore, we and they have worshipped 
 false gods, whose power was nought. I believe that 
 a portion of man will survive the grave, and that 
 rewards or punishments await it in a future world. 
 I have been convinced that man is, in this life, 
 bound to serve the God who created him, which 
 conduct will secure him happiness in the world to 
 come; and the neglect of which must consign him 
 to never-ending punishment and God's eternal 
 t displeasure. 
 
 "But how was I to serve this great being? I 
 have asked it of the Priests of Japan, of China, 
 and of the Indies, but they could not satisfy my 
 mind in their replies. I have asked the same of the 
 followers of the Prophet, and they answered me by 
 prescribing for my observance foolish and unreason- 
 able things. I could have no faith in their teaching, 
 29 
 
338 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 feeling that a pure and uncontaminated being could 
 not be pleased with actions proscribed by reason. 
 I turned to the Jewish Synagogue, who satisfied me 
 that their Jehovah had indeed declared his will and 
 pleasure from the heights of Sinai, and that this 
 declaration was to be law until he should speak 
 again. It was the beginning of a more perfect end. 
 But has he spoken again since the events of Sinai ? 
 To this question all Christendom responded in one 
 confident voice, that God had spoken, and spoken 
 through no less a person than his own co-eternal 
 Son : that the law of Sinai is no longer in force ; 
 that in part it has been abrogated, and in parts 
 perfected by his new dispensation given to us by 
 Jesus of Nazareth, the true Son of God. To these 
 views we cannot refuse our cordial assent, for if 
 there be truth on earth, this fact has been demon- 
 strated beyond the possibility of a doubt. 
 
 "But here again arose a most important question. 
 Which of the many forms of Christianity in vogue 
 amongst men is the true system which God approves ? 
 Which fashion of Christianity was really established 
 by Jesus ? To ascertain this important fact, we 
 reviewed the history of Christianity with all possi- 
 ble care and diligence. From it we learned that 
 Jesus of Nazareth, who performed the works of a 
 God, assumed the character of an ambassador of 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 339 
 
 heaven, in which capacity he created a perpetual 
 corporation, to which he committed the important 
 task of unfolding to men the way to heaven, and 
 whose power was to continue throughout all futurity. 
 The province of this corporation was to teach all 
 men, of all times, climes and countries. For this 
 end he endowed it with especial powers and prero- 
 gatives, and assigned to it particular duties. All 
 these are contained in the great charter which he 
 solemnly granted it on Mount Olivet before his 
 return to heaven. This charter we have seen was 
 afterwards solemnly ratified in a visible manner by 
 the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. 
 
 " From this charter we gather the necessary attri- 
 butes of this great corporation. It must be One, 
 Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Infallible and Perpetual, 
 presided over by an authoritative chief or president. 
 Natural reason affirms that such must be the corpo- 
 ration, in order that it may be enabled to fulfil the 
 important duties with which it has been entrusted. 
 And history assures us that such was precisely 
 the corporation which Jesus did actually establish. 
 Now, with this charter in hand, we have gone the 
 round of the various Christian denominations, and 
 by it, as a true criterion, we have adjudged them all. 
 We have applied it to the various Eastern denomina- 
 tions; to the followers of Calvin and of Luther; 
 
340 JUSIU UCUNDONO. 
 
 and we have seen and acknowledged that with none 
 of them did it conform. Of those which we have 
 named, as well as of a hundred others which we 
 might name, not one can be said to combine within 
 it these essential requisites, these cardinal qualities. 
 In none of them is Peter found; by none is he 
 acknowledged. None of these therefore can be the 
 great institution founded by Jesus and recognized 
 by God. 
 
 " But, at the moment we enter the great Catholic 
 establishment, over which Peter presides, we recog- 
 nize the genuine work of God. Her splendid char- 
 acteristics are written on her very portals ; her very 
 name is an index of what she is. She began her 
 teaching at Jerusalem more than fifteen hundred 
 years ago by word of mouth, and by word of mouth 
 we still find her teaching in every clime under 
 heaven. She teaches to-day in China and Japan 
 the very same doctrines which she taught in the 
 days of Vespasian, in the cities of Judea. Her 
 teaching is then one and universal. Peter who was 
 the acknowledged head of the Apostolic College, 
 is at this day the acknowledged head of the same 
 college, in his successor ruling in the Vatican. And 
 that college is the very same unchanged and un- 
 changeable corporation which was formed on Mount 
 Olivet by Jesus himself, it having descended to our 
 
JUSTO UCUNDONO. 341 
 
 times by an unbroken and uninterrupted succession. 
 It is then strictly Apostolic. In fine, it possesses 
 each and all of the great characteristics, impressed 
 on it in its formation by the hands of its Divine 
 founder. 
 
 " Such being the case, my course is plain, my 
 choice is free. Between truth and error there can 
 be no compromise. Reason compels us to sanction, 
 adopt, practise the truth. I see with my own eyes 
 the great pastor of this one fold confirming his 
 brethren to-day as he did centuries ago. I see him 
 feeding the lambs and the sheep. Beyond this fold 
 there is no security, there being no pastor to guard 
 the flock. If there be no security then within the 
 pale of this great pasturage, then indeed has all 
 place of refuge vanished the earth. If truth dwell 
 not here, we shall look for it elsewhere in vain. I 
 therefore, in presence of heaven and earth, before 
 all Japan, and this august Council, declare my sin- 
 cere belief in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic 
 Church; and in this belief I solemnly vow to live 
 and die." 
 
 Prince Fugurundono, with the young Princes, 
 educated with Justo ; the Jaco and five hundred of 
 the principal divines rising in a body made the same 
 solemn profession of faith, desiring to be baptized 
 by Xavier, whose heavenly appeals had convinced 
 
842 JUSTO UCUNDONO. 
 
 their minds and influenced their will. The Emperor, 
 deeply affected, was himself convinced of the divinely 
 authenticated character of the Catholic Church, but 
 for reasons of State he abstained for the present 
 from making an open avowal of his opinions. Prince 
 Fugurundono here produced a paper in the hand- 
 writing of the deceased Empress, which she had 
 requested him to make public when the proper 
 moment should arrive. It was now read to the 
 Council, and produced the deepest emotion. It 
 ran as follows : — 
 
 "Know Nobunango, my lord: know you, Justo 
 my child ; know all Japonians, my beloved friends, 
 that Rosalia departed this life a firm and practical 
 believer in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic 
 Church, founded by Jesus of Nazareth in the land 
 of Judea, and now spread throughout the earth, 
 and ruled by Peter the fisherman of Galilee. That 
 Nobunango my lord, that Justo my child, that all 
 Japonians may finally be brought, by the aid of 
 God Almighty, the Creator and Father of men, to 
 the knowledge of this redeeming faith, is the dying 
 prayer of the Empress Rosalia." 
 
 "Great God !" exclaimed Justo, "my mother then 
 died in the faith and communion of the blessed 
 Church we have just found? May the great and 
 merciful Father of the Universe be forever blessed! 
 
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT. 313 
 
 Whence, God ! have we deserved this signal token 
 of thy unbounded favor ? Spirit of my departed 
 parent ! if in the realms of bliss, thou canst yet 
 feel an interest for those once dear to thee on earth, 
 Oh, deign to implore the Father of mercies, near 
 whose throne thou standest, to cast a merciful eye 
 on his ignorant, erring Japonian children : ask him 
 to illuminate their hearts with the light of faith, 
 that they may finally acknowledge their God and 
 know their salvation ! Oh, why should the blood of 
 a God have flowed in vain for the benighted nations 
 of Japan?" 
 
 The Emperor rose to thank the Council for their 
 attendance and aid, but his feelings overcame his 
 wishes. His emotions were infused into every heart. 
 As if by common consent the members left the hall, 
 and the Council was dissolved. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 To you, who with us have pursued step by step 
 the arguments by which we have arrived at this 
 glorious result, we have in conclusion but to express 
 a hope, that although this feeble record cannot 
 generate the fervent enthusiasm inspired by the 
 eloquence of the great Apostle, yet that the con- 
 viction of the universality, the unvarying immu- 
 tability, and the Divine character of the glorious 
 Catholic Church is no less strongly impressed upon 
 your minds than under his exposition, it was made 
 to pervade those of the Council of Frenoxama. 
 May we not also hope that these convictions will 
 be the seed of a glorious harvest, that the confi- 
 dence arising from a familiar knowledge of those 
 great truths on which is based the impregnable 
 fortress of our Holy Church, will arouse the heart 
 and stimulate the will to the performance of those 
 virtuous acts, to the denunciation and avoidance 
 of those evil deeds, — a course by which the crown 
 of immortality only may be gained. 
 
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