UC-NRLF 
 
 B 3 3b7 7Eb 
 
 I 
 
THE BRAHMO SOMA] 
 
Pre pa. t -itig for Pu b lica tio n , 
 
 KESHUB CHUNDER SEN'S 
 ENGLISH VISIT. 
 
 AN AUTHORIZED COLLECTION OF HIS PRINCIPAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN 
 
 ENGLAND 
 
 Edited by S. D. Collet. 
 
 STRAHAN & CO., 56, LUDGATE HILL, E.C. 
 
l^itc i3r<thmo Soma| 
 
 LECTURES AND TRACTS 
 
 1 , ' J 1 > 
 
 By KESHUB CHUNDER SEN 
 
 FIRST AND SECOND SERIES 
 
 EDITED BY SOPHIA DOBSON COLLET 
 
 STRAHAN & CO., PUBLISHERS 
 56 LUDGATE HILL, LONDON 
 
 1870 
 
^i_ / 2-6 3 
 ^3t 
 
 
 MAIN LIBRARY 
 JOHN FRYER 
 CHtNESE LIBRARY 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO., 
 
 CITV ROAD. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The interest which has lately been excited in 
 the English public concerning the Brahmo 
 Somaj, or Theistic Church of India, — an interest 
 heightened by the temporary presence among 
 us of its chief leader, Mr. Keshub Chunder Sen, 
 — has led to the reprint of these Lectures and 
 Tracts. The first four lectures, viz., those on 
 ** Jesus Christ " and " Great Men," and the two 
 Anniversary Addresses, were reprinted here 
 soon after Mr. Sen's arrival, in a small volume 
 entitled "Four Lectures," and a Second Series 
 was then promised. This is now presented, and 
 it has been thought desirable to prefix to it a 
 fresh issue of the First Series, so as to include 
 all the best of Mr. Sen's Indian pamphlets in 
 one volume. 
 
 751.58.1 ■ 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 The Lectures on IMental Philosophy were the 
 first two lectures 'and the only ones reported; of 
 a course on the Philosophy of Religion, de- 
 livered to a class of young University students 
 at Calcutta, for the purpose of supplementing 
 their secular studies by religious instpaction. 
 The Bombay Lecture on " Religious and Social 
 Reformation " shows the same strong conviction 
 of the necessity for a religious basis in the 
 sphere of practical reform. 
 
 The Sermon on " Prayer " was delivered at 
 the Prarthana Somaj, or Prayer Association, of 
 Bombay, a local Society whose principles and 
 spirit closely resemble those of the Brahmo 
 Somaj, and which is nov/ contemplating affilia- 
 tion with the latter body. 
 
 The brief exhortation entitled ** A Voice from 
 the Himalayas," was written at Simla in 1868, 
 and distributed as a missionary leaflet. The 
 tract on " True Faith " was issued in 1866, and 
 was " intended to be a guide to Brahmo !Mis- 
 sionaries." The " Theist's Prayer-Book " first 
 appeared in 1861 ; a second edition followed in 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 1864, and a third 'from which the present is 
 printed^ in 1870. 
 
 It had been my intention to prefix an His- 
 torical Sketch of the Brahmo Somaj to this 
 volume, but the materials for that narrative 
 prove to be so abundant, and deser\'e such full 
 space, that it will form the subject of a separate 
 volume, which I hope to complete and issue 
 very shortly. 
 
 S. D. C. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 -0- 
 
 (Jlirst S^^^^' 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Jesus Christ : Europe and Asia . . > 1866 i 
 
 Great Men 1866 47 
 
 Regenerating Faith 1868 95 
 
 The Future Church 1869 129 
 
 The Religious Importance of Mental Philo- 
 sophy. I. AND II. 1867 163 
 
 Religious and Social Reformation . . 1868 199 
 
 Prayer 1868 231 
 
 A Voice from the Himalayas .... 1868 247 
 
 True Faith 1866 253 
 
 The Theist's Prayer-Book 1861 271 
 
JFix^t Series* 
 
 JESUS CHRIST : EUROPE AND ASIA. 
 
 A Lecture delivered in the Theatre of the Calcutta Medical 
 College, May 5, 1866. 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, 
 
 ON referring to the map of what is known as the Old 
 World, we find two vast continents, Europe and 
 Asia, separated from each other by the Ural Mountains, 
 the River Ural, and a number of inland seas. Near the 
 southern extremity of this boundary-line, and bordering 
 on the waters of the Mediterranean, lies the country called 
 the Holy Land. Here, upwards of eighteen hundred 
 years ago, Jesus Christ, the greatest and tniest benefactor 
 of mankind, lived and died. Here he originated that 
 mighty religious movement which has achieved such 
 splendid results in the world, and scattered the blessings 
 of saving truth on untold nations and generations. I 
 purpose this evening to trace the gradual and steady 
 progress of this grand movement, and its influence on 
 the character and destinies of the European and Asiatic 
 nations. It will be seen how the Church of Christ grew 
 and expanded from small beginnings ; how, but a small 
 rivulet at first, it increased in depth and breadth as it 
 flowed along, swept away in its resistless tide the im- 
 pregnable strongholds of ancient error and superstition. 
 
4 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 and the accumulated corruptions of centuries, and, by- 
 spreading its genial currents on humanity, fertilized it 
 aii^ -'procluoed] civefcring and magnificent harvests. I 
 \i\\d,\\ . ejiid-aavoiir to shoNv. how, under an overruling Pro- 
 vidence, 'it has* 'broiight' the Asiatic and the European 
 races together, and made the East and the West kiss 
 each other in fraternal sympathy ; how it has linked the 
 best representatives of the two continents in India, and 
 come to affect our interests at this distance of time and 
 place. I shall compare the national character of the 
 two nations in relation to the high standard of Christian 
 ethics, and point out dieir respective defects and short- 
 comings, which prevent their harmonious union and 
 counteract the spirit of true Christianity. I shall show 
 the absolute necessity which exists for a proper apprecia- 
 tion of Christ's precepts by the natives and Europeans in 
 the present critical state of India, and impress upon you 
 those fundamental precepts, the observance of which the 
 present age seems specially to demand. In addressing 
 you on this momentous theme, I cannot, however, forget 
 that I am a Brahmo. I will not dissemble my convic- 
 tions, which differ, as you are aware, from the orthodox 
 opinions of popular Christianity. Whatever differences, 
 however, there may be on strictly theological questions, 
 I must say I am no hater of Christianity — much less of 
 Jesus Christ. I cherish the profoundest reverence for 
 the character of Jesus, and the lofty ideal of moral truth 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 5 
 
 wliich he taught and lived ; and it is to impress his moral 
 excellence on my countrymen, as well as the European 
 community in India, — unbiassed by sectarian bigotry or 
 the spirit of theological wrangling, — that I appear before 
 vou this evenino;. 
 
 As, after a long and gloomy night, when creation lies 
 prostrate in death-like sleep, the great luminary of the 
 day rises in the east, clad in glittering gold, and travels 
 towards the west, shedding warmth, light, and life in all 
 directions, — so rose Christianity in the East, amidst the 
 deep gloom of ignorance and corruption, and gloriously 
 careered westward, awaking slumbering nations to truth 
 and righteousness— God and salvation. Yes, the world 
 was enveloped in almost impenetrable darkness when 
 Jesus was born. Grim idolatry stalked over the length 
 and breadth of the then known world, and prejudices 
 and corruptions of a most revolting type followed in its 
 train. Greece, Rome, and Egypt, each had its pantheon 
 of varied and countless deities, who ruled the mind of 
 the age with iron sway. The principles of morality had 
 also suffered a wreck amid the surges of extravagant 
 luxuries and sensuality, and unbridled dissipation and 
 debauchery prevailed on all sides. The light of wisdom 
 and truth, which solitary greatness had now and then 
 enkindled, had become well-nigh extinct. There was 
 hardly any vestige of the beneficial influence produced 
 by that code of pure ethics which venerable Socrates 
 
6 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 founded, and for which he laid down his very Hfe ; the 
 same was also the fate of the subHme system of theo- 
 philosophy elaborated by the master-mind of Plato, and 
 the unrivalled organum of ratiocination by which Aris- 
 totle laid the basis of true scientific knowledge. Only in 
 corrupt and demoralizing forms the perverted spirit of 
 philosophy still lingered — such as the schools of Epi- 
 cureanism and Scepticism. Many openly professed and 
 boldly practised the doctrine of eat, drink, and be merry, 
 and revelled in all manner of licentiousness ; while many, 
 on the other hand, laid the axe at the very root of 
 morality. Judaism alone stood in solitary grandeur and 
 prominent relief amid this scene of universal degi^adation, 
 for it contained within itself the precious truths of 
 Theism ; but even that had come to be encumbered 
 with empty rituals and ceremonies, and lay divided be- 
 tween the conceited and hypocritical Pharisees on the 
 one hand, and the cold-hearted and sceptical Sadducees 
 on the other. Thus the world presented almost one 
 unbroken scene of midnight darkness on all sides. A 
 light was needed. Humanity was groaning under a 
 deadly malady, and was on the verge of death ; a remedy 
 was urgently needed to save it. Jesus Christ was thus a 
 necessity of the age : he appeared in the fulness of time. 
 And, certainly, no great man ever rose in the world but 
 his birth was necessitated by surrounding circumstances, 
 and his life was a necessary response to the demands of 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 7 
 
 the age. There can be no question that Jesus was com- 
 missioned and destined by Providence for the great 
 work which he came to perform. Nor can we fail to 
 notice the wise arrangements made by Providence for 
 the effectual performance of that work. The time was 
 marvellously adapted for Christ's advent, not only be- 
 cause men were suffering from an intolerable malady, 
 from which they demanded relief, but also because there 
 were wonderful facilities for the administration of a 
 remedy. All the nations of the then civilized world 
 formed one vast empire, and were cemented together by 
 common subjection to the central ruling power of Rome. 
 Secondly, the Greek language was widely diffused among 
 the educated classes of all these nations, and formed a 
 ready and convenient medium for the dissemination of 
 new thoughts and ideas to the remotest countries. And, 
 lastly, the Jews, among whom the truth was first to be 
 preached, were scattered over all the principal stations 
 in the empire, so as to form a wide-spread foundation for 
 the new religious movement. 
 
 Under such circumstances Jesus Christ was born. 
 How he lived and died; how his ministry, extending 
 over three short years, produced amazing results, and 
 created almost new life in his followers ; how his words, 
 spoken in thrilling but simple eloquence, flew like wild- 
 fire, and inflamed the enthusiasm of the multitudes to 
 whom he preached ; how, in spite of awful discourage- 
 
8 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 ments, he succeeded in establishing the kingdom of God 
 in the hearts of some at least ; and how, ultimately, he 
 sacrificed himself for the benefit of mankind, — are facts of 
 which most of you here present are no doubt aware. I 
 shall not enter into the details of his life and ministry, as 
 my present business is simply with the influence which he 
 exercised on the world. It cannot be denied that it was 
 solely for his thorough devotion to the cause of truth, 
 and the interests of suffering humanity, that he patiently 
 endured all the privations and hardships which came in 
 his way, and met that fierce storm of persecution which 
 his infuriated antagonists poured on his devoted head. 
 (Hear, hear.) It was from no selfish impulse, from no 
 spirit of mistaken fanaticism, that he bravely and cheer- 
 fully offered himself to be crucified on the cross. He 
 laid down his life that God might be glorified. (Hear, 
 hear.) I have always regarded the cross as a beautiful 
 emblem of self-sacrifice unto the glory of God — one 
 which is calculated to quicken the higher feelings and 
 aspirations of the heart, and to purify the soul ; and I 
 believe there is not a heart, how callous and hard soever 
 it may be, that can look with cold indifference on 
 that grand and significant symbol. (Applause.) Such 
 lionourable and disinterested self-sacrifice has produced, 
 as might be anticipated, wonderful results; the noble 
 purpose of Christ's noble heart has been fully achieved, 
 as the world's history will testify. The vast moral 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 9 
 
 influence of his life and death still lives in human society, 
 and animates its movements. It has moulded the 
 civilization of modem Europe, and it underlies the 
 many civilizing and philanthropic agencies of the present 
 day. He has exercised such living and lasting influence 
 on the world, not by the physical miracles which popular 
 theology has ascribed to him, but by the greater miracle 
 of the truth which he preached. If faith cannot remove 
 mountains, I do not know what can. There is indeed a 
 power in truth, far above the might of princes and 
 potentates, which can work wonders and achieve im- 
 possibilities ; and it was surely with this power that Jesus 
 triumphantly established the kingdom of God. (Cheers.) 
 He was the son of an humble carpenter, and he laboured 
 in connection with his ministry only for three short years, 
 — do not these simple facts conclusively prove, when 
 viewed in reference to the vast amount of influence he 
 has exercised on the world, that greatness dwelt in Jesus ? 
 (Applause.) Poor and illiterate, brought up in Nazareth 
 — a village notorious for corruption — under demoralizing 
 influences, his associates the lowest mechanics and 
 fishermen, from whom he could receive not a single ray 
 of enlightenment, he rose superior to all outward circum- 
 stances by the force of his innate greatness, and grew in 
 wisdom, faith, and piety by meditation and prayer, and 
 with the inspiration of the Divine spirit working within 
 him. Though all the external conditions of his life were 
 
10 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 against him, he rose above them with the strength of the 
 Lord, and, with almost superhuman wisdom and energy, 
 taught those sublime truths and performed those moral 
 wonders for which succeeding generations have paid him 
 the tribute of admiration and gratitude. (Cheers.) Verily 
 he was above ordinary humanity. Sent by Providence 
 to reform and regenerate mankind, he received from 
 Providence wisdom and power for that great work ; 
 and throughout his career and ministration, and in the 
 subsequent effects of his grand movement, we find posi- 
 tive evidence of that miraculous power with which 
 inspired greatness vanquishes mighty potentates, hurls 
 down dynasties, and uproots kingdoms, and builds up, 
 from chaos and corruption, the kingdom of truth and 
 God, of freedom and harmony. (Cheers.) 
 
 After the death of Jesus, his disciples felt deeply the 
 absence of their master, for hitherto they had absolutely 
 depended upon him ; they shone in his light, and were 
 strong in his strength. Now they were disheartened, and 
 felt weak and destitute of self-reliance. And, as branches 
 cut off from the trunk, they would have soon withered, 
 did not an act of noble self-reliance and self-sacrifice 
 rouse their sinking spirits. The martyrdom of Stephen 
 served as the signal for them to go about and prove to 
 the world that they were disciples of a great master. It 
 scattered away all nominal followers as chaff, and be- 
 stirred the true disciples to missionary labours. They 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. ii 
 
 went about preaching the Gospel in the surrounding 
 cities and villages. Thus the movement, which was 
 hitherto confined to Jerusalem, extended to all Palestine, 
 Its spirit also became more catholic. The baptism of 
 Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, broke down the 
 barrier between the Jews and Gentiles, and opened wide 
 the catholic Church of Christ to all men without dis- 
 tinction. The first Gentile church was established at 
 Antioch. It was here also that missionary enterprise, on 
 an extensive scale, commenced. God in his wise provi- 
 dence selected Antioch to be the centre of missionary- 
 activity, and indeed no place could have better served 
 the purpose. A rich and stately city, possessed of 
 geographical advantages and of historic renown, it was 
 a central meeting-place of the nations of the East and 
 West, and a great commercial mart, where the repre- 
 sentatives of all races met together. It has been justly 
 said, that what Rome was in the middle ages, what 
 London and New York are at the present day, that was 
 Antioch at the time we are referring to, — the centre of 
 activity and intelligence, of political and commercial 
 movements, of reform and civilization and international 
 intercourse. It was from this place that the stream of 
 Gospel truth flowed on all sides, and it was here that the 
 followers of Christ, who had hitherto been a mere Jewish 
 sect, got the distinctive name of " Christians," and 
 assumed the form of a distinct religious community. 
 
12 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 That name, however, which so many now bear as a badge 
 of honour, was first given by the adversaries of Chris- 
 tianity as a term of contempt. St. Paul, the great apostle 
 of the Gentiles, was the leader of this missionary move- 
 ment. He undertook three journeys, in which he dis- 
 seminated the precious truths taught by Jesus in several 
 provinces of Asia Minor, in the chief cities on the 
 opposite coast of Europe, in Macedonia and Greece, and 
 numerous other places. He was then carried a captive 
 to Rome, where he had long wished to preach the 
 Gospel j and though a prisoner, he neglected not to 
 impart the glad tidings of the new religion to all with 
 whom he came in contact. Besides Paul, there were 
 two other leading missionaries — Peter and John — whose 
 operations were chiefly confined to Asia Minor. These 
 three are said to represent three types of Christian 
 character — faith, hope, and love ; and through their 
 labours these three elements harmoniously combined in 
 the infant Church of Christ. With the death of John the 
 first century, called by Christians the " age of inspiration," 
 closed. At this period the Church of Christ extended 
 from Macedonia to Alexandria, from Antioch to Rome. 
 Its life, however, was gone with the last of the apostles, 
 and though it had grown in size, it found itself too weak 
 and insignificant amidst the awful gloom which still 
 surrounded it, and could not yet count upon having 
 secured a firm and lasting footing. Heresies also sprang 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 13 
 
 up within the Church, while outside it were thousands of 
 men who, though they had abandoned their behef in 
 idolatry, did not embrace the religion of Christianity, and, 
 with sceptical recklessness, indulged in all the extrava- 
 gances of sensual gratifications. Yet, however, the infant 
 Church lived to fulfil its mission, and slowly and steadily 
 advanced in power. For two centuries, down to the time of 
 Constantine, the history of Christianity shows gradual pro- 
 gress, extension, and development. This was also the age 
 of fierce persecution ; for, in the religious world, progress 
 and persecution go hand in hand. Had it not been 
 for the fiery ordeal through which Christianity had to 
 pass in those days, its glory and greatness would 
 have been things unknown to us. It was the long series 
 of relentless persecutions to which a succession of tyran- 
 nical and heartless Emperors subjected it, that tried its 
 worth and established it more firmly than ever. Eccle- 
 siastical history mentions ten principal persecutions of 
 the time, and portrays the horrid and diabolical atrocities 
 which characterized them. The first of these was per- 
 petrated by that most inhuman and rufiianly Emperor, 
 Nero, who, after setting all Rome in a blaze, sought to 
 avert all suspicion, and laid the whole guilt on the 
 shoulders of the Christians, against whom he cherished 
 fiendish hate. Many a Christian was exposed to most 
 excruciating tortures, and barbarously put to death. But 
 Nero only began the bloody work. Persecution was 
 
14 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 renewed by the Emperor Domitian, and continued b}' 
 several of his successors, thus completing that picture of 
 Christian suffering and martyrdom which forms at once 
 the most painful and glorious chapter in the history of 
 Christianity. (Hear, hear.) It makes one's hair stand 
 on end to read the records of the sufferings endured by 
 the early Christian martyrs. Their trials electrify the 
 whole heart and rouse its enthusiasm. Their fortitude 
 and patience, their meekness and firmness, their fidelity 
 to truth and resignation to the will of God, stand before 
 us in their majestic reality, and inspire us with holy zeal. 
 (Cheers.) Not only stout-hearted men, but even tender- 
 hearted women, undauntedly confronted assembled hosts 
 of enemies, endured the most agonizing torments, and 
 sacrificed their lives unto the glory of God. It is such 
 examples of martyr devotion which are calculated to 
 dispel from our minds all cowardice, fickleness, and in- 
 constancy, and to make us feel that truth is dearer than 
 life itself (Applause.) No doubt it is martyr blood 
 that has nourished the precious seed of divine truth 
 planted by Jesus, till it has become a mighty tree, whose 
 wide-extended branches overshadow a vast extent of the 
 habitable globe, and whose fruits are enjoyed by myriads 
 of men and women in various parts of the world. 
 (Cheers.) Honour, all honour to Jesus, who so nobly 
 set the example of self-sacrifice for truth, and to that 
 devoted band of martyrs who, by imitating his example, 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. J5 
 
 extended the kingdom of truth and conferred lasting 
 benefits on the world. (Applause.) 
 
 The sufferings of the Christian Church lasted till the 
 time of Constantine, who, by an imperial edict, granted 
 full toleration to the Christians. Christianity now became 
 the established religion of the state, and was spread over 
 the whole Roman empire. Thus, after years of struggle 
 and hardship, tossed on the waves of indescribable suffer- 
 ings, and beaten by storms of persecution, the vessel of 
 Christianity triumphantly entered the harbour of peace, 
 decked with all the honours of imperial patronage. 
 
 Although the religion of Jesus had now reached the 
 farthest limit of the then known world, its diffusion was, 
 to a great extent, superficial, and its prosperity outward 
 gloss. There was no internal life. The heart of Chris- 
 tendom was becoming perverted. Heresies and corrup- 
 tions became rife, and the very leaders and guides 
 encouraged the same by their life and example. The 
 bishops of some of the Churches strove to usurp supreme 
 authority, and quarrelled for earthly honours, under the 
 impulse of avarice and cupidity. The corruption in- 
 creased till it culminated in the debasing system of 
 Popery. The Bishop of Rome called himself supreme 
 father, /^/^, or Pope, and arrogated to himself absolute 
 authority in controlling and deciding all matters relating 
 to the theology and discipline of the Church, and thus 
 established a system of superstition, priestcraft, and . 
 
1 6 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 immorality which it is awful to contemplate. But cor- 
 ruption cannot last for ever in God's kingdom; sooner 
 or later it must be counteracted by a strong reaction. 
 The sale of indulgences was the culminating point of 
 this wicked system of Popery, and drew the mighty 
 Luther on the stage. Again a light was needed, for 
 the Christian Church was covered with darkness and 
 threatened with annihilation. The stream of Apostolic 
 Christianity had become defiled by base admixtures in 
 its downward course through various generations and 
 nations ; and it was necessary to restore primitive 
 Christianity. For this great work Providence raised 
 up Luther, and to him the world is indebted for 
 its emancipation from the errors and absurdities of 
 Popery. (Hear, hear.) By his spirited protests, in the 
 midst of the assembled potentates of Europe, and in the 
 face of furious opposition, against the galling despotism 
 of the Romish Church, and his fearless advocacy of the 
 primitive truths of the Gospel and the rights of private 
 judgment, he pulled down the huge fabric of corruption 
 that had been built up, revived the drooping energies of 
 Christendom, and once more established the glory of 
 Christ. Since the Reformation, almost new life was 
 infused into Christianity, and several circumstances 
 conspired to facilitate its dissemination. Its more ardent 
 followers, inflamed with holy zeal, have gone about in 
 all directions to preach the religion of the cross to their 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 17 
 
 benighted brothers and sisters in remote countries. 
 They have braved all hazards, crossed oceans and 
 deserts, surmounted insuperable difficulties, and with 
 patience, perseverance, and self-denial, have planted the 
 cross in many a land. (Cheers.) Through their labours 
 Christianity has penetrated the farthest extremities of the 
 globe, and has made proselytes among nearly all races 
 of men. Many a country where barbarism and bestiality 
 prevailed has now become the abode of civilization, 
 refinement, and peace ; and many a nation, long im- 
 mersed in the mire of idolatry and immorality, has been 
 reformed and purified. The stream of Christianity, which 
 first flowed Westward, has wheeled round towards the 
 East, and has diffused the blessings of enlightenment 
 from China to Peru. East, west, north, and south, on all 
 sides we behold the glory of Christ. (Hear, hear.) His 
 Church has been planted in Greenland, British Guiana, 
 the West Indies ; West Africa, East Africa, Cape Town, 
 Madagascar; Turkey, Arabia, Persia, India, Tartary, 
 Japan, China ; the Indian Archipelago, Australia, Poly- 
 nesia, and New Zealand. There are now three hundred 
 millions of Christians in the world, or three-tenths of its 
 entire population. It has been said, with some truth, 
 that on Sundays Christian service is held every hour of 
 the day in some place or other. 
 
 Let us come nearer home, and see what has been 
 done in our country. So far back as 1706, a few Danish 
 
 c 
 
1 8 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 missionaries came out to India to establish a mission. 
 The scene of their labours was Tranquebar, in South 
 India. In 1786, one Mr. John Thomas came out to 
 Bengal as a surgeon, and after making some desultory 
 attempts to preach Christianity among the natives, 
 returned home. He came again in 1793, accompanied 
 by the celebrated Mr. Carey, and settled near Maldah. 
 Shortly after, two other missionaries, the well-known 
 Messrs. Marshman and Ward, reached Serampore. Here 
 they were soon joined by Mr. Carey, and here they 
 organized that system of missionary labour which in its 
 progressive development has produced such striking 
 results. .(Hear, hear.) Christian missionaries have 
 since gradually multiplied, and Christian Churches have 
 been founded in all parts of the country. The total 
 number of native converts to Christianity has been esti- 
 mated at 154,000. There are thirty-two Missionary 
 Societies engaged in Indian evangelization, of which 
 twelve are British, four Continental, nine American, and 
 seven devoted to educational purposes. The number of 
 foreign missionaries in India is 519, and the sum 
 annually spent on missions is ;^2 5o,ooo. 
 
 Such has been the gradual progress of Christianity, 
 such the wondrous growth of the seed planted by Jesus. 
 Tell me, brethren, whether you regard Jesus of Nazareth, 
 the carpenter's son, as an ordinary man? Is there a 
 single soul in this large assembly who would scruple to 
 
EUROPE AXD ASL-L ig 
 
 ascribe extraordinary greatness and supernatural moral 
 heroism to Jesus Christ and him crucified? (Applause.) 
 ^\'as not he who by his wisdom illuminated, and by his 
 power saved, a dark and wicked world, — was not he who 
 has left us such a priceless legacy of divine truth, and 
 whose blood has \\T0U2;ht such wonders for eighteen 
 hundred years, — was not he above ordinar}' humanity ? 
 (Cheers.) Blessed Jesus, immortal child of God I For 
 the world he lived and died. ]May the world appreciate 
 him and follow his precepts ! (Applause.) 
 
 I have cursorily sketched the rise and progress of 
 Christianity, and its gradual extension to the farthest 
 limits of the world. I shall now proceed to discuss its 
 ethics in its application to, and bearings upon, the 
 character and destinies of the European and native 
 communities in India, with a view to draw certain whole- 
 some lessons of a practical character for their guidance, 
 and for regulating and adjusting their mutual relations. 
 In handling this rather delicate part of my subject, I 
 must avoid all party spirit and race-antagonism. I stand 
 on the platform of brotherhood, and disclaim the remotest 
 intention of offending any particular class or sect of those 
 who constitute my audience, by indulging in rabid and 
 mahcious denunciations on the one hand, or dishonest 
 flattery on the other. 
 
 It cannot be said that we in India have nothing: to do 
 with Christ or Christianitv. Have the natives of this 
 
20 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 country altogether escaped the influence of Christianity, 
 and do they owe nothing to Christ ? Shall I be told by 
 my educated countrymen that they can feel nothing but 
 a mere remote historic interest in the grand mov'ement I 
 have described? You have already seen how, in the 
 gradual extension of the Church of Christ, Christian 
 missions came to be established in this distant land, and 
 what results these missions have achieved. The many 
 noble deeds of philanthropy and selfdenying bene- 
 volence which Christian missionaries have performed in 
 India, and the various intellectual, social, and moral 
 improvements which they have eftected, need no flatter- 
 ing comment ; they are treasured in the gi-atitude of the 
 nation, and can never be forgotten or denied. (Applause.) 
 That India is highly indebted to these disinterested and 
 large-hearted followers of Christ for her present pros- 
 perity, I have no doubt the entire nation will gratefully 
 acknowledge. Fortunately for India, she was not for- 
 gotten by the Christian missionaries when they went 
 about to preach the Gospel. (Cheers.) While, through 
 missionary agency, our country has thus been connected 
 with the enlightened nations of the West, politically, an 
 All-wise and All-merciful Providence has entrusted its 
 interests to the hands of a Christian sovereign. In this 
 significant event worldly men can see nothing but an 
 ordinary political phenomenon, but those of you who 
 can discern the finger of Providence in individual and 
 
EUROPE AXD ASIA. 21 
 
 national histoiy, will doubtless see here His wise and 
 merciful interposition. (Hear, hear.) I cannot but reflect 
 with grateful interest on the day when the British nation 
 first planted their feet on the plains of India, and the 
 successive steps by which the British Empire has been 
 established and consolidated in this country. It is to the 
 British Government that we owe our deliverance from 
 oppression and misrule, from darkness and distress, from 
 ignorance and superstition. Those enlightened ideas 
 which have changed the very life of the nation, and have 
 gradually brought about such wondrous improvement in 
 native society, are the gifts of that Government ; and so 
 likewise the inestimable boon of freedom of thous-ht and 
 action, which we so justly prize. Are not such considera- 
 tions calculated to rouse our deepest gratitude and loyalty 
 to the British nation and Her ]\Iost Gracious Majesty 
 Queen Victori?.? (Cheers.) Her beneficent Christian 
 administration has proved to us not only a political, but 
 a social and moral blessing, and laid the foundation of 
 our national prosperity and greatness ; and it is but 
 natural that we should cherish towards her no other 
 feeling except that of devoted loyalty. Here, then, we 
 stand, in the wise arrangements of Providence, Europeans 
 and Natives, bound together by identity of political 
 interests, and yielding common subjection to Her Gra- 
 cious jMajesty; and certainly God requires of us that we 
 should so adjust our mutual relations, and fulfil our 
 
2 2 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 respective missions, that we may benefit each other and 
 harmoniously co-operate for the furtherance of our 
 common objects. 
 
 But does harmony actually prevail among us ? United 
 by jDolitical ties, are we morally united ? Does brotherly 
 love subsist between the conquering and the conquered 
 races ? Do the former recognise Jesus as their guide and 
 master in their dealings with the latter, and exercise on 
 them the influence of true Christian life ? Are the Euro- 
 peans and the Indians so far influenced by that love of 
 God and man which Jesus Christ preached, as to com- 
 bine harmoniously to promote their mutual welfare and 
 fulfil the purposes of Providence ? Alas ! instead of 
 mutual good feeling and brotherly intercourse, we find 
 the bitterest rancour and hatred, and a ceaseless ex- 
 change of reviling, vituperation, and slander. (Cheers.) 
 The flame of antipathy is kept alive by the native and the 
 English press, which, instead of allaying fury and recon- 
 ciling difierences, are ever and anon fulminating thunder- 
 ing invectives against each other. This journalistic war, 
 indicative, no doubt, of the actual state of feelings of the 
 two communities, is sometimes carried to a most frightful 
 extent, and the worst passions of the heart are indulged 
 witli the utmost recklessness. I deplore this most sin- 
 cerely, not for any personal considerations, but because 
 the interests of India and the honour of Jesus Christ are 
 at stake. As one deeply interested in the social and 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 23 
 
 spiritual welfare of my country, I cannot but be aggrieved 
 to see that, owing to unjustifiable conduct on both sides, 
 there is a most injurious isolation between us and that 
 nation with whose aid we are destined to rise in the scale 
 of nations, and from whom we have to learn the inesti- 
 mable riches of Christ's sublime morality. 
 
 Among the European community in India, there is a 
 class who not only hate the natives with their whole 
 heart, but seem to take a pleasure in doing so. (Cheers.) 
 The existence of such a class of miCn cannot possibly be 
 disputed. They regard the natives as one of the vilest 
 nations on earth, hopelessly immersed in all the vices 
 which can degrade humanity and bring it to the level of 
 brutes. They think it mean even to associate with the 
 natives. Native ideas and tastes, native customs and 
 manners, seem to them odious and contemptible ; while 
 native character is considered to represent the lowest 
 type of lying and wickedness. In their eyes the native 
 is a man who is inherently a liar, and the nation a nation 
 of liars ; in short, the distinguishing feature in the national 
 character of the natives is their inherent love of lying. 
 In all departments of life — intellectual, domestic, social, 
 and religious — they are a race of liars. To say the least, 
 I hold this to be a most uncharitable misrepresentation. 
 (Hear, hear.) I believe, and I must boldly and empha- 
 tically declare, that the heart of a native is not naturally 
 more depraved than that of a European or any other 
 
24 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 nation in the world. To say that lying is a natural and 
 inborn defect in the native character is simply absurd. 
 Nor can I see any reason why God should have created 
 this particular people with an innate lying propensity, 
 and freely bestowed purity and innocence on all others. 
 The fact is, human nature is the same everywhere — in all 
 latitudes and climes ; but circumstances modify it, and 
 religion and usages mould it in different forms. Educate 
 the native mind, and you will find it susceptible of as 
 much improvement and elevation as that of a European. 
 However this may be, the great defect which these nigger- 
 hating Europeans would persistently ascribe to the native 
 character is inveterate lying and dishonesty. This, in 
 their opinion, is enough to set down the natives as a 
 most wicked race. They liken a native to difox (laughter) 
 — wily, fraudulent, and mean — full of sinister motives, 
 deceit, and cunning. He is born and bred a fox, and is 
 destined to live and die a fox ! (Cheers and laughter.) 
 Frankness, sincerity, and straightforward dealings are un- 
 known to him ; all his ways are ways of insidiousness 
 and cunning. He is ever bent on mischief, and the 
 weapons he invariably employs for the purpose are 
 exactly the same which a fox would use. With wonder- 
 ful shrewdness he defeats even the most astute adver- 
 sary ; and with great cleverness he always conceals his 
 actual intents. He loves intrigue and moves in the dark, 
 and is ready to do anything which may enable him to 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 25 
 
 accomplish his selfish purposes. Conscious of his weak- 
 ness, he scruples not to stoop to the meanest subterfuge, 
 and he makes up by his wile what he wants in power. As 
 a fox, therefore^ a native should always be distrusted, and 
 treated with contempt and hatred. Such are the notions 
 of many a European in India about native character. 
 Many natives, on the other hand, liken the European to 
 a ivolf (laughter) — vindictive, wrathful, ferocious, and 
 bloodthirsty. He is born and bred a wolf, and is des- 
 tined to live and die a wolf. (Laughter.) Meekness, 
 forbearance, and mercy are unknown to him. The least 
 provocation ruffles his temper, kindles his wrath, and 
 makes him rush blindly to vengeance. Once out of 
 temper, he rants and raves, and inflicts the most cruel 
 and barbarous tortures on his enemy to gratify his ire, 
 and is even sometimes so far carried away by his passions 
 as to commit the most atrocious murder. Insult he 
 cannot bear ; he cannot forgive his enemies. Hot-headed 
 and ferocious, he takes delight in exercising violence, and 
 often he does so without any plea or reason whatsoever. 
 His combative propensity is strong, and few can reckon 
 their lives safe if they have once excited his wrath. 
 (Cheers.) As a wolf, therefore, he is to be dreaded and 
 shunned. Indeed, many a native is so afraid of a Euro- 
 pean, that he would never, if he could avoid it, travel in 
 the same railway-carriage with him. (Laughter.) And 
 this fear, be it said, is not the fear due to a superior 
 
2 6 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 nature, but that which brutal ferocity awakens. Thus, 
 while the European hates the native as a cunning fox, 
 the latter fears the former as a ferocious wolf. (Cheers.) 
 These are no doubt extreme cases of the infirmities in 
 the national character of the Europeans and natives. 
 But there is some truth in these caricatures, and let us 
 see what that is. The native heart is, I believe, exceed- 
 ingly narrow and selfish. Its views and sympathies and 
 aspirations are contracted. There is too much of exclu- 
 siveness about a native, which limits his thoughts and 
 feelings within a small compass, beyond which he can 
 hardly extend them. His life is a round of selfish 
 pursuits, and self-interest is generally the motive of his 
 actions. I will not deny that perjury and forgery, lying 
 and dishonesty, prevail to an alarming extent in our 
 country; but I cannot believe they are traits of our 
 national character. (Applause.) For there are striking 
 and numerous instances of honesty and veracity and fair 
 dealing among the natives which none can dispute. Any 
 special aptitude for lying it is absolutely impossible to 
 discover in the character of my countrymen. All that I 
 can say is, that it is the reckless pursuit of selfish ends, 
 in which God is forgotten and conscience unheeded, 
 which drives not a few of my countrymen to sacrifice 
 truth and honesty on the altar of avarice. Selfishness, I 
 say, is a characteristic of our nation, and into this many 
 of our national defects may resolve themselves. But 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 27 
 
 this selfishness may be accounted for by the circum- 
 stances under which we Hve. For it is an admitted fact, 
 that national character is determined by the peculiar 
 circumstances which govern and influence it. We are a 
 subject race, and have been so for centuries. We have 
 too long been under foreign sway to be able to feel any- 
 thing like independence in our hearts. Socially and 
 religiously we are little better than slaves. From infancy 
 up we have been trained to believe that w^e are Hindoos 
 only so far as we offer slavish obedience to the authority 
 of the Shasters and the priests, and that any amount of 
 disobedience v/ould be so much want of our nationality. 
 Not only in the important concerns of life, but even in 
 the trivial details of our social and domestic economy — 
 in matters of eating and drinking — we are fettered by a 
 rigid routine of action, invested with the inviolable 
 sanctity of religion. If ever any individual gets a spark 
 of moral independence, the surrounding atmosphere 
 would soon extinguish it. Under such circumstances, all 
 the higher impulses and aspirations of the soul must 
 naturally be smothered; and hence is it that, though 
 educated ideas rebel, and organized communities of 
 enlightened men often protest, the general tenor of 
 native life is a dead level of base and unmanly acquies- 
 cence in traditional errors. Then, again, we are physi- 
 cally cribbed and confined. Travelling is not only 
 opposed to our habits, but is religiously interdicted. A 
 
2 8 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 native lives and moves in his little house, and knows no 
 world beyond the boundaries of his country. Home- 
 loving and untravelled, his notions of men and things 
 must needs be narrow, and his heart contracted. Even 
 in his patriotism and benevolence there is too often a 
 cast of narrow selfishness. The European, on the con- 
 trary, has a large and cosmopolitan heart. He can call 
 the world his home, meet a distant call of charity, and 
 offer his sympathy to all men, without any distinction of 
 caste, creed, or colour. He enjoys and loves freedom, 
 which gives full scope to all the nobler instincts and 
 sentiments of his heart, and leads him to follow, con- 
 sistently and fearlessly, certain high principles of action, 
 from which he thinks it unmanly and mean to swerve. 
 (Hear, hear.) On reversing the picture, we find the 
 Hindoo has certain excellences in which his European 
 brother is rather deficient. The Hindoo is mild and 
 meek. (Cheers.) He is intensely fond of peace, and 
 would rather put up with insult and oppression than 
 engage in a battle of recrimination. There is more of 
 the woman in him than of the man. He is meek- 
 spirited even to effeminacy. His patience and cool self- 
 possession are remarkable. He is slow to anger, and 
 not easily provoked ; he is ever anxious to avoid a 
 quarrel and keep clear of troubled waters. His highest 
 ambition is to glide tranquilly along the placid stream of 
 life, under a clear and cloudless sky, undisturbed by 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 29 
 
 any hostile influence. (Applause.) He is conciliating 
 and forgiving, and would do all he can to enjoy the 
 enviable felicity of having no enemy on earth. It 
 is true that not unfrequently this love of peace is 
 carried to an extreme. Among the Bengalees we 
 often see it manifest itself in the shape of indolence, 
 lethargy, and aversion to activity and enterprise. 
 Talk to a Bengalee of war, and his flesh would creep 
 on his bones. (Laughter.) The art of eifecting a 
 clever retreat from the scene of danger he seems 
 to have well studied. (Laughter.) Talk to him of 
 reform and innovation, he trembles and shudders at the 
 idea. He cannot bear to see the established order of 
 things upset, and all social arrangements thrown into 
 confusion and disorder ; he would fondly cling to ancestral 
 institutions, and would have no reformation which is likely 
 to take away his peace and expose him to hardships and 
 inconveniences. He lives with imagined security in the 
 old and dilapidated house of his ancestors, and would 
 not quit it albeit it is about to cnmible into atoms. 
 (Laughter and cheers.) But, however deplorable the 
 abuse, I believe that if native meekness be sustained and 
 regulated by sound moral principles, it would prove an 
 honourable virtue, and shed lustre on our national cha- 
 racter. On the other hand, the European is full of 
 energy and activity, and dislikes a quiet smooth life. He 
 seems to love the hurricane and the boisterous sea. He 
 
30 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 rejoices in the danger which brings his energies into full 
 play. He seeks honour and glory in the free and full 
 use of his indomitable power, and nothing short of the 
 discomfiture of his enemies will satisfy him. In fact, the 
 European nature is rough, stern, impulsive, and fiery ; it 
 thinks meekness to be cowardice ; it rejoices and glories 
 in violence and vengeance. (Cheers.) How often do 
 such qualities, overstepping all legitimate bounds, and 
 defying all higher impulses, become frightful sources 
 of mischief ! And, alas ! how sadly manifest is this in 
 India ! Many a European adventurer in this country 
 seems to believe that he has a right to trample upon 
 every unfortunate nigger with whom he comes in contact. 
 (Cheers.) This he believes to be heroism, and in this 
 he seeks glory ! But he forgets that to kick and trample 
 upon one who is inferior in strength is not heroism, but 
 base cowardice. (Deafening applause.) What glory is 
 there in abusing and maltreating a poor native ? What 
 glory is there in whipping and scourging a helpless native 
 to death, under the infatuating influence of brutal anger ? 
 Is this military prowess, or is it Christian zeal? (Ap- 
 plause,— cries of " Neither.") Evidently it is neither. If 
 the European is at all anxious for the glory of his country 
 and his God, he ought to seek it in a better and more 
 generous treatment of the natives. If he is conscious of 
 his superiority, a native should be all the more an object 
 of his compassion and tender regards ; and surely pity 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 31 
 
 from a Christian heart he has every reason to expect. I 
 cherish great respect for the Europeans, not for any 
 secular considerations, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, 
 whom they profess to follow, and whom, I believe, it is 
 their mission to make known to us in words as well as 
 deeds. It is the bounden duty of all Europeans in India 
 so to prove their fidelity to him in all the avocations of 
 their private and public life, that through the influence of 
 their example the spirit of true Christian righteousness 
 may leaven native society. I regard every European 
 settler in India as a missionary of Christ, and I have a 
 right to demand that he should always remember and act 
 up to his high responsibilities. (Applause.) But, alas ! 
 owing to the reckless conduct of a number of pseudo- 
 Christians, Christianity has failed to produce any whole- 
 some moral influence on my countr}'men. (Hear, hear, 
 — " They are nominal Christians.") Yea, their muscular 
 Christianity has led many a native to identify the religion 
 of Jesus with the power and privilege of inflicting blows 
 and kicks with impunity ! (Deafening cheers.) And thus 
 Jesus has been dishonoured in India, and thus, alas ! 
 the true spirit of his religion has been lost upon the 
 natives through the recklessness of a host of nominal 
 Christians. Behold Christ's Church in danger ! Behold 
 Christ crucified in the lives of those who profess to be 
 his followers ! Had it not been for them, the name 
 of Jesus Christ would have been ten times more glorified 
 
32 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 than it seems to have been. (Hear, hear.) I hope that, 
 for India's sake, for Christ's sake, for truth's sake. The 
 Christians in India should conscientiously strive to realize 
 in their lives the high morality of the Gospel. Here, in 
 this hall and elsewhere, the native character has been 
 most severely denounced and vilified, and the foulest 
 aspersions cast upon it with unjustifiable partiality. 
 (Cheers.) From such one-sided and sweeping condemna- 
 tion it is my duty to vindicate our national character. 
 When it is clear that each of the two communities has 
 certain peculiar and grave defects which it is impossible 
 to justify, why should the one be systematically maligned, 
 and that for faults by no means natural or national, but 
 accidental and exceptional? If there are foxes among 
 the natives, there are wolves among the Europeans ; if 
 the former are narrow-minded and selfish, the latter are 
 rough and implacable ; if the former are led by selfish- 
 ness to commit forgery, the latter are driven by anger to 
 perpetrate murder ; if the former have no integrity, the 
 latter have no mercy ; if the former have no regard for 
 truth, neither have the latter — if truth be taken in its 
 highest sense, even as it is in the Holy God. We have 
 On the one side a perverted Europeanism, and on the 
 other a perverted Indianism, but there are acknowledged 
 excellences on both sides. I hope, therefore, that the 
 European and native communities will understand aright 
 their respective defects and shortcomings, and the good 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 33 
 
 qualities of each other, that they may with humility and 
 mutual respect cultivate fellowship with, and do good to, 
 each other. No one can deny that recrimination only 
 serves to widen the gulf between them and render 
 antagonism more inveterate, and for the good of both 
 parties it should be avoided. Europeans and natives are 
 both the children of God, and the ties of brotherhood 
 should bind them together. Extend, then, to us, O ye 
 Europeans in India, the right hand of fellowship, to 
 which we are fairly entitled. If, however, our Christian 
 friends persist in traducing our nationality and national 
 character, and in distrusting and hating Orientalism, let 
 me assure them that I do not in the least feel dis- 
 honoured by such imputations. On the contrary, I 
 rejoice, yea, I am proud, that I am an Asiatic. And was 
 not Jesus Christ an Asiatic ? (Deafening applause.) Yes, 
 and his disciples were Asiatics, and all the agencies 
 primarily employed for the propagation of the Gospel 
 were Asiatic. In fact, Christianity was founded and 
 developed by Asiatics, and in Asia. When I reflect on 
 this, my love for Jesus becomes a hundredfold inten- 
 sified; I feel him nearer my heart, and deeper in my 
 national sympathies. ^Vhy should I then feel ashamed 
 to acknowledge that nationality which he acknowledged ? 
 Shall I not rather say, he is more congenial and akin to 
 my Oriental nature, more agreeable to my Oriental 
 habits of thought and feeling? And is it not true that 
 
 D 
 
34 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 an Asiatic can read the imageries and allegories of the 
 Gospel, and its descriptions of natural sceneries, of cus- 
 toms and manners, with greater interest, and a fuller 
 perception of their force and beauty, than Europeans? 
 (Cheers.) In Christ we see not only the exaltedness of 
 humanity, but also the grandeur of which Asiatic nature 
 is susceptible. To us Asiatics, therefore, Christ is doubly 
 interesting, and his religion is entitled to our peculiar 
 regard as an altogether Oriental affair. The more this 
 great fact is pondered, the less I hope will be the anti- 
 pathy and hatred of European Christians against Oriental 
 nationalities, and the greater the interest of the Asiatics 
 in the teachings of Christ. And thus in Christ, Europe 
 and Asia, the East and the West, may learn to find 
 harmony and unity. (Deafening applause.) 
 
 I must therefore protest against that denationaUzation 
 which is so general among native converts to Chris- 
 tianity. (Cheers.) With the religion of their heathen 
 forefathers, they generally abandon the manners and 
 customs of their country, and with Christianity they 
 embrace the usages of Europeans ; even in dress and 
 diet they assume an affected air of outlandishness, which 
 estranges them from their own countrymen. They deli- 
 berately and voluntarily cut themselves off from native 
 society as soon as they are baptized, and, as an inevitable 
 consequence, come to contract a sort of repugnance to 
 ever)'thing Oriental, and an enthusiastic admiration for 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 35 
 
 everything European. (Hear, hear.) They seem to be 
 ashamed of their countr}^ and their nationaHty. They 
 forget that Christ, their master, was an Asiatic, and that 
 it is not necessary in following him to make themselves 
 alien to their country or race. I sincerely beseech them 
 not to confound the spirit of Christianity with the fashions 
 of Western civilization. May they aspire to the glory of 
 following the example of their great master, who, though he 
 inculcated catholic truth for all mankind, was not ashamed 
 to live and die a simple and poor Asiatic. (Cheers.) 
 
 I believe you will readily admit that, in contrasting the 
 national character of the European and native races, I 
 have been guided by no local or arbitrary criterion, but 
 by that high and universally acknowledged standard of 
 ethics which -is above the accidents of time and place, 
 and is applicable to all men and nations alike. I have 
 not judged the Asiatics from a European point of view, 
 nor have I judged the Europeans according to the pecu- 
 liar notions of an Asiatic. I have freely pronounced the 
 imperfections of the two races, so far as I have found 
 them to fall short of the requirements of God's law. 
 These imperfections may in each case be, and often are, 
 justified, or at least palliated and tolerated, in an estimate 
 formed on local and national considerations. The Euro- 
 pean, guided by European notions, may vindicate all the 
 traits in his national character, and declare the natives a 
 perverted race, because their ideas and practices are at 
 
36 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 variance with his own ; and the native may do the same 
 in return. But He who judgeth both Europeans and 
 natives according to His supreme law, findeth abundant 
 transgressions in each. And certainly it is our interest 
 and duty, in estimating our own or our neighbour's cha- 
 racter, to refer, not to human opinion, but to the abso- 
 lute standard of perfection as it is in God ; as it is thus 
 only that we can hope to reform ourselves and each 
 other, without being inflated by pride or biassed by 
 malice. I address you, brethren, not as men who are 
 merely amenable to a court of justice or the tribunal of 
 society, and whose highest merit consists in avoiding 
 crime or securing a few worldly virtues, but as beings 
 destined for immortality, whose object should be to 
 follow strictly the absolute standard of truth, and whose 
 best interests are the interests of eternity. I speak to 
 you as to those who have immortal souls to care for, and 
 whose highest concern is to secure the approbation of 
 conscience here, and a blessed eternity hereafter. I 
 would ask you, brethren, to forget time in eternity, all 
 local traditions in universal principles, nationality in 
 humanity, and the varying conventionalism of different 
 countries in the immutable standard of duty. I would 
 ask you to appeal to your own consciences, that you may 
 see and confess how far you stand convicted before* the 
 throne of the Holy God as 7?ien, however much you may 
 find reason to gratify your national pride as Europeans 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 37 
 
 or Asiatics. I would refer you to the sublime maxims 
 of Christ's morality ; and there, I am sure, you will find 
 enough to rebuke your pride, to teach you your failings, 
 and to stir you to reformation. Christ spake not as 
 worldly men speak, in the accommodating spirit of pru- 
 dence : he preached absolute religion. He disdained 
 everything local and contingent, sectarian and partial, 
 and taught God's universal truth for the benefit of all 
 mankind, Europeans and Asiatics alike. Let it not be 
 supposed that I allude to any special form of Christian 
 ethics as it is understood and accepted by particular 
 denominations of the Christian Church. No ; I have 
 not derived my conceptions of Christ or his ethics from 
 the dogmatic theology or the actual life of any class of 
 his followers. I do not identify him with any Christian 
 sect. I have gone direct to the Bible to ascertain the 
 genuine doctrines of morality inculcated by Christ ; and 
 it is my firm conviction that his teachings find a response 
 in the universal consciousness of humanity, and are no 
 more European than Asiatic, and that in his ethics 
 " there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor un- 
 circumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free." May 
 we all learn to draw near to God by conforming to the 
 spirit of these precepts ! 
 
 The two fundamental doctrines of Gospel ethics, 
 which stand out prominently above all others, and give 
 it its peculiar grandeur and its pre-eminent excellence 
 
38 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 are, in my opinion, the doctrines of forgiveness and self- 
 sacrifice ; and it is in these we perceive the moral great- 
 ness of Christ. These golden maxims how beautifully 
 he preached, how nobly he lived I What moral serenity 
 and sweetness pervade his life ! What extraordinary 
 tenderness and humility — what lamblike meekness and 
 simplicity ! His heart was full of mercy and forgiving 
 kindness : friends and foes shared his charity and love. 
 And yet, on the other hand, how resolute, firm, and 
 unyielding in his adherence to truth ! He feared no 
 mortal man, and braved even death itself for the sake of 
 truth and God. Verily, when we read his life, his meek- 
 ness, like the soft moon, ravishes the heart and bathes it 
 in a flood of serene light ; but when we come to the 
 grand consummation of his career, his death on the 
 cross, behold he shines as the powerful sun in its meri- 
 dian splendour ! (Cheers.) It is these two cardinal 
 principles of Christian ethics, — so utterly opposed to the 
 wisdom of the world, and so far exalted above its highest 
 conceptions of rectitude, — which require to be duly 
 impressed upon the European and native races, as upon 
 the proper appreciation of these, I believe, depends the 
 reformation of their character. 
 
 The meekness which Christ recommends is not mere 
 sentimentalism ; his charity is not passive or sectarian. 
 His meekness is that deep serenity of the soul, that 
 extraordinary self-possession, which is never ruffled by 
 
EUROPE AXD ASIA. 39 
 
 provocation and insult, and is above resentment. His 
 charity is active and universal, and is based on the true 
 spirit of brotherhood. It loves all men, and seeks the 
 welfare and happiness of all, — but what is more, it loves 
 the enemy. Christ tells us to forgive our enemies, yea, 
 to bless them that curse us, and pray for them that 
 despitefully use us ; he tells us, when one smites the 
 right cheek, to turn the left towards him. Who can 
 adequately conceive this transcendent charity ? The 
 most impressive form in which it practically manifests 
 itself is in that sweet and tender prayer which the 
 crucified Jesus uttered in the midst of deep agony — 
 " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
 (Loud cheers.) O that we could be inspired with the 
 spirit of this excellent prayer ! What a sublime protest 
 this is against those unnatural passions of resentment 
 and vengeance which we are so apt to indulge ! I hope 
 this large-hearted charity will regulate the mutual rela- 
 tions and dealings between my countrpnen and the 
 Europeans, and lead them to co-operate harmoniously 
 in all that is good. Often have I advised my native 
 friends to forget and forgi^•e the wTongs inflicted upon 
 them by cruel and insolent Europeans, instead of seek- 
 ing to gratify their anger. If we are maltreated by 
 others, we have no right to maltreat them in return. 
 Shall we not rather forgive them and do good to them 
 with generous hearts ? What if they be our bitterest 
 
40 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 enemies, — what if they heap upon us insult and 
 slander and violence, and provoke us to the utmost 
 pitch, — shall we not with loving hearts pray — Father, 
 forgive them ? (Cheers.) Surely, if a native could learn 
 charity from brutal violence, and meet provocation with 
 forgiveness instead of anger, his victory would be com- 
 plete, while his oppressor would lie vanquished amid 
 shame and ignominy and pubHc execration. (Applause.) 
 To the European community, the doctrine of Christian 
 charity applies with even greater force. In it lies the 
 best antidote for the defects in their character I have 
 noticed. As Christians, they ought to be baptized into 
 true Christian meekness ; their rough nature will be 
 thereby humanized, and their proneness to indulge in 
 violence and ferocity will be effectually curbed. Their 
 obligation to do so is peculiarly pressing and urgent; 
 they are bound to follow the emphatic precepts and 
 living example of charity and meekness of him whom 
 they profess to regard as their master. Meekness is 
 essentially a Christian virtue, and those who delight in 
 vengeance, and boast of their muscular Christianity, are 
 unworthy of the Christian name. It is, I believe, the 
 bounden duty of Christian men and women to adhere 
 strictly and literally to the doctrine of forgiveness incul- 
 cated by Christ. But it grieves me to find that, far from 
 doing this, many seem to take that doctrine as a mere 
 theory, which they think it absurd to act upon. As a 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 41 
 
 theory, they descant on its beauty, and regale themselves 
 with the poetry of religion which they find in it ; but in 
 practice they set it aside as an extreme of misguided 
 sentimentalism, or, at best, an ethical hyperbole. They 
 know too well that, by altogether avoiding antagonism 
 and recrimination, and systematically returning love for 
 enmity, they would too soon jeopardize all their temporal 
 interests, and find it impossible to get on in the world — 
 not to speak of the derision and ridicule they would 
 bring upon themselves ; they accordingly, with profound 
 wisdom and discretion, try to keep themselves aloof from 
 this dangerous theory of forgiveness ! (Hear, hear.) 
 Nay, with a view to appear consistent with their Chris- 
 tian profession, they put an agreeable construction upon 
 Christ's doctrine ; they qualify it so as to accommodate 
 it to their worldly position and circumstances. They 
 make out exceptional cases, in which they would justify 
 vindictiveness and revenge. Failing to conform their 
 character to Christ's law, they ingeniously adapt the law 
 to themselves and the requirements of their worldly 
 interests. Failing to obey the law in its integrity, they 
 mutilate it, and make Christian morality easy and con- 
 venient. (Cheers.) This is indeed to be regretted. If 
 they would simply contend that Christ's law of forgive- 
 ness is too high for us, and that it is difficult to carry it 
 out practically, I could heartily sympathize with them. 
 But when they proceed to pervert the spirit of that law, 
 
42 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 and seek to lower its standard, because they cannot 
 raise themselves to it, 1 feel it my duty to protest against 
 such unwarrantable misconstruction, and vindicate the 
 ethics of Christ. Have we any right to mutilate truth 
 on the plea of our inability to grasp it fully? Shall 
 Christ be robbed of his precious diadem of forgiving 
 meekness, that his nominal followers may with privileged 
 audacity gratify their vengeful feelings, and ever and 
 anon cry— Blood for blood? (Loud cheers.) Let me 
 assure you that Christ's precepts on this subject are too 
 lucid and plain to leave any doubt in the mind as to 
 their true import ; and their rigid integrity admits of no 
 compromise or mutilation. Christian brethren, I beseech 
 you to remember that you are bound to fulfil literally 
 the doctrine of love and forgiveness as set forth in the 
 Gospel. You should not only restrain anger and shun 
 vengeance, and patiently bear affront and provocation, 
 but freely and generously bless them that curse you, and 
 do good to them that hate you and maltreat you. You 
 should try to conform fully to the golden maxim — Love 
 thine enemy, and show in your daily life the unfathom- 
 able charity of Christ. (Applause.) 
 
 The other leading doctrine of Gospel morahty I 
 have alluded to is self-sacrifice. The paramount im- 
 portance of this to my countrymen it is impossible to 
 exaggerate, as it is this which affords the best remedy for 
 the chief defect in the native character, viz., selfishness. 
 
I 
 
 EUROPE AND ASIA. 43 
 
 The precepts which enjoin this virtue are so numerous 
 and emphatic and prominent in the Gospel, that one 
 feels no difficulty whatever in recognising it as the one 
 great truth which threads the whole narrative of Christ's 
 life and ministry. In this we find the precious secret of 
 his mission ; in this the varied incidents of his life and 
 death find a unity and an explanation. Nothing does he 
 so constantly and consistently demand of his disciples as 
 the sacrifice of worldly interests. He will have no com- 
 promise between God and the world. He insists on the 
 undivided homage of the soul to God, and its entire 
 estrangement from the service of the world. He rebukes 
 and disclaims all who, after holding the plough, would 
 still look back; he would have his followers forsake 
 everything and follow the truth ; he would have truth 
 prized and loved far above father and mother, wife and 
 children, far above all earthly honours and felicities. 
 Thorough resignation to the will of God, without any 
 fear of consequences or solicitude for food and raiment, 
 constitutes the chief feature of Christ's teachings. His 
 death on the cross affords the highest practical illustration 
 of self-sacrifice. He sacrificed his life for the sake of 
 truth and the benefit of the world. In obedience to the 
 will of his Father, he laid down his life, and said — Thy 
 will be done, O God ! (Cheers.) And surely there is 
 deeper meaning in the fact than even the orthodox attach 
 to it, that the death of Christ is the life of the world. 
 
44 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 (Applause.) Fellow-countrymen, it is your duty to follow 
 these precepts and imitate this example of self-sacrifice 
 in the cause of truth. By doing so, you will not only 
 remove the great stigma of unprincipled selfishness which 
 attaches to your national character, and learn to regulate 
 your life by high moral principles, but you will be enabled 
 to promote effectually the true welfare of your country in 
 the peculiarly momentous crisis in which it is at present 
 placed. In these early days of Indian reformation, ^vhen 
 a huge mass of old errors and corruptions has to be 
 swept away, and a firm foundation to be laid for a 
 reformed social system, nothing is more necessary on our 
 part than a proper appreciation of the value of truth, and 
 a readiness to sacrifice all our temporal interests for it. 
 Our selfishness has been our country's ruin, and even 
 now, in spite of education, this odious selfishness is 
 prolonging the days of India's degradation and suffering. 
 That we may be better men and a better nation, we must 
 eradicate selfishness. Neither the big talk of enlightened 
 hypocrisy nor the cold calculating policy of prudence 
 can remedy the evils which afflict our country. Nothing 
 short of total self-abnegation will save our country. 
 (Loud applause.) I assure you, brethren, nothing short 
 of self-sacrifice, of which Christ has furnished so bright 
 an example, will regenerate India. We must love God 
 with our whole heart ; we must live and die for truth. 
 With singleness of purpose and with unwavering fidelity 
 
EUROPE AND ASIA. 45 
 
 we must obey the call of duty, and under no circum- 
 stances should we compromise our conscience. Let 
 not sordid selfishness any longer make us indifferent 
 to the deplorable condition of our fatherland ; let us 
 rise and bring self a voluntary victim before the throne 
 of God, and dedicate ourselves wholly to His service 
 and our country's welfare. (Cheers.) Enough has 
 been the degradation of India ; her sufferings are 
 brimful. Already, through Divine grace, a transition 
 has commenced, and the dawn of reformation is 
 visible on all sides. But such transition is only the 
 precursor of a mighty revolution through which India 
 is destined to pass, and which will come with its tre- 
 mendous trials in the fulness of time. With all the fury 
 of a hurricane it will shake native society to its very 
 centre, shatter to pieces all strongholds of error, and 
 sweep off all that is evil. Then will India rise reformed 
 and regenerated. Prepare yourselves, then, for the trials 
 which await you. Prepare yourselves, I say, for the time 
 is coming when you shall be called to undergo heavy self- 
 denials, and encounter struggles and sufferings of no 
 ordinary kind. You may not have to suffer bloody per- 
 secutions, you may not be tortured to death for truth's 
 sake, — the British Government may protect you from such 
 extreme violence. Nevertheless, privations and sufferings 
 of a most trying character will gather round you, and 
 your dearest and best interests will be imperilled. 
 
46 JESUS CHRIST: 
 
 Honour and wealth will forsake you, your friends and 
 kinsmen will excommunicate you, and you may be 
 exposed to a life of utter helplessness, in which even 
 daily sustenance will be precarious. Be therefore ready 
 and willing to meet the worst that may befall you, that 
 you may not be found wanting in the day of trial. Fill 
 your hearts with the love of truth, and resign yourselves 
 to the will of God, and with self-sacrificing enthusiasm 
 go forth to discharge your duties to your country, regard- 
 less of all consequences. (Cheers.) And the better to 
 stimulate you to a life of self-denial, I hold up to you the 
 cross on which Jesus died. May his example so influ- 
 ence you, that you may be prepared to offer even your 
 blood, if need be, for the regeneration of your country. 
 (Cheers.) Let my European brethren do all they can to 
 establish and consolidate the moral kingdom of Christ in 
 India. Let them preach from their pulpits, and exhibit 
 in their daily life, the great principles of charity and self- 
 sacrifice. And, on the basis of these principles, may 
 brotherly intercourse and co-operation be established 
 between them and my cquntrymen. Oh ! for the day 
 when race-antagonism shall perish, and strife, discord, 
 and all manner of unbrotherly feeling shall for ever pass 
 away, and harmony shall prevail among us all ! May 
 England and India, Europe and Asia, be indissolubly 
 united in charity and love, and self-denying devotion to 
 truth ! (Applause.) 
 
GREAT MEN. 
 
 A Lecture delivered at the Town Hall, Calcutta, 
 September 28, 1866. 
 
Ladies and Genixemen, 
 
 THE age in which we live has its advantages as well 
 as its disadvantages. In these days of civilization 
 and enlightenment, of industry and enterprise, of trade 
 and manufacture, of steam and electricity, of scientific dis- 
 coveries and inventions, there are on all sides cheering 
 indications of material improvement and prosperity. But 
 the age does not seem to be very favourable to the 
 spiritual interests of man. In the midst of all this pomp 
 and splendour of material prosperity, ill fares the spirit. 
 While the senses enjoy an endless variety of physical 
 comforts, the soul droops and pines in an uncongenial 
 atmosphere. Modern civilization is eminently and essen- 
 tially materiahstic. All departments of thought and 
 speculation are more or less of this character. The 
 politics of the age is Benthamism, its ethics Utilitarianism, 
 its religion Rationalism, its philosophy Positivism. All 
 seems dull, mechanical, unspiritual, and lifeless. In the 
 discharge of moral and religious duties especially, and in 
 all concerns affecting the interests of the soul, men follow 
 not the high and immutable principles of conscience, but 
 
 E 
 
50 GREAT MEN. 
 
 the low and convenient standard of conventionalism. 
 All the nobler instincts and aspirations are smothered 
 by the ignoble worship of custom and tradition. The 
 orthodox fondly look through the vista of bygone ages 
 to a romantic past, peopled with saints and prophets and 
 angels of God, adorned with all that is fairest and good- 
 liest and holiest, and illumined by God's direct revela- 
 tions ; and they fancy that by believing in that they will 
 be saved. Those, on the other hand, who are beyond 
 the pale of orthodoxy, are giving themselves up to the 
 wild vagaries of free-thinking and scepticism, though out- 
 wardly, for politic reasons, they conform as strictly to 
 forms and symbols as the orthodox. Thus, as regards 
 both those who are within and those who are outside 
 the orthodox church, there is underneath apparent con- 
 formity a striking absence of spiritual faith — that faith 
 which is " the evidence of things not seen, the substance 
 of things hoped for." From the bigotry and dogmatism of 
 traditional creeds to the cold abstraction of rationalism, 
 the entire religious life of the nineteenth century betrays 
 a lamentable want of spiritual insight, and of that direct 
 inspiration which alone can give us light unto salvation. 
 From such tendencies, which characterize the civilization 
 of the present age, India is not altogether free. Decrepit 
 with age as she is in relation to her ancient greatness, 
 and quite in her infancy in relation to modern civiliza- 
 tion, she has with peculiar readiness caught this wide- 
 
GREAT MEN. 5' 
 
 spread contagion. Politically and intellectually, England 
 is our master. We have been brought up in the school 
 of English thought, and have been inoculated with 
 Western ideas and sentiments. Hence is it that we see 
 in India a dim reflection of all that is going on at pre- 
 sent in civilized Europe. The physical resources of the 
 country are undergoing wonderful expansion and de- 
 velopment, and everywhere we behold daily multiplying 
 signs of material prosperity. The intellectual gloom which 
 for centuries covered its face is being dispelled by the 
 rays of liberal education, and the mists of idolatry and 
 superstition are fast disappearing. But alas ! what have 
 we instead of these? The materiaUsm of modern 
 civilization. Utilitarian views have already spread far 
 and wide among the educated classes, and Positivism 
 counts its followers by hundreds. Few care about the 
 sacred interests of the soul ; and those who do, rest 
 satisfied with a few vague rationalistic dogmas. It is 
 certainly the duty of all who are interested in the welfare 
 of India, to endeavour to check, in due season, these 
 sceptical tendencies of the age, and to infix in the minds 
 of the rising generation such positive ideas of the higher 
 truths of religion as may enable them to attain the 
 blessings of salvation. To put forth my humble efforts 
 in this direction, so far as my limited capacities will 
 allow, is the main object I have in view in appearing 
 before you this evening. The people of India must be 
 
52 GREAT MEN. 
 
 roused from their lethargy and apathy, and saved from 
 the dangers of smooth but treacherous materiaHsm. 
 This Hfe of spiritual stagnation that we see around us is 
 woful ; this spreading infection of sceptical fancies is 
 appalling. The enslaved spirit of the nation must rise 
 and bestir itself freely to the holy activities of the higher 
 life. That question is or should be as solemn and 
 pressing with us in India now as it ever was elsewhere, — 
 " What shall I do to be saved ?" And for a proper and 
 practical solution of this question, we must, with sincere 
 and humble hearts, rely on God, and pray without ceas- 
 ing that He may reveal Himself to us, and purify and 
 regenerate us by the direct action of His holy spirit. 
 For, in order that we may be sanctified and saved, we 
 must hold direct and personal communion with God, 
 each for himself, and so feel and establish our relations 
 with Him, that our hearts may be for ever open to His 
 living and holy inspiration. And as God communi- 
 cates His spirit to us in certain mysterious ways, a 
 proper comprehension of the secret of such com- 
 munication is obviously of great importance to our 
 salvation. Thousands, we know, have, in all ages, 
 searched for truth and God in the dry wells of ancient 
 traditions and outward symbols, to satisfy their spiritual 
 thirst ; but it was not till they discovered and drank 
 of the deep fountain of divine revelation, that they felt 
 truly blessed with the pure water of saving truth. It is 
 
GREAT MEN. 53 
 
 therefore necessary to inquire how God reveals Himself 
 to man. 
 
 The first manifestation of God is in nature, and it is 
 from this that the earliest religious impressions of men 
 and nations have been derived. This is the primary and 
 ordinary revelation of God, and one which is accessible 
 and intelligible to all alike. Man, in the simplicity of 
 his uneducated mind, and without the aid of logic or 
 philosophy, " traces nature up to nature's God." He 
 cannot but do so. The universe exhibits on all sides 
 innumerable marks of design and beauty, of adaptation 
 and method, which he cannot explain except by referring 
 them to an Intelligent First Cause, the Creator of this 
 vast universe. Each object in nature reminds us of its 
 Maker, and draws the heart in spontaneous reverence to 
 His infinite majesty. The stupendous Himalayas, the 
 vast deep Atlantic, the flowing rivulet, the fragrant and 
 beautiful rose, the warbling bird, and all that is grand 
 and beautiful in the world below and the heavens above, 
 " declare the glory of God and show His handiwork," 
 and inspire devotional feelings in the soul towards Him 
 who made them. Verily, there are "tongues in trees, 
 books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and 
 good in everything." But is God manifest in the 
 universe simply as its Maker — who created it, but 
 has no connection whatever with it at present ? Does 
 the universe bear the same relation to God as the 
 
54 GREAT MEN. 
 
 watch does to the watchmaker? Certainly not. The 
 world cannot exist for one moment without God. 
 He is its life and power. He is the power of all 
 secondary pow^^rs, the true life of all living beings. 
 He is the immanent power of the world ; its indw^elling 
 life. The same power that created men and things sup- 
 ports them. They can have no independent power or 
 existence apart from their Maker. In Him -we " live and 
 move and have our being." It is not true, as some would 
 have it, that God created the world, invested each object 
 and being with certain powers, and left them to work 
 independently, according to certain fixed laws. Law 
 simply denotes mode of action, and can have no agency ; 
 while the secondary powers inherent in objects, which 
 indeed act and produce all the striking effects and pheno- 
 mena we behold in nature, are dependent upon the 
 primary power of the Almighty. God the Creator should 
 not be conceived apart from God the Preserver. If the 
 world is real, it is real because of the divine power which 
 animates it, and constitutes its immanent vitality. But 
 is it merely the intelligence and power of God that we 
 see in nature ? We perceive His goodness in the count- 
 less and varied bounties which He showers on us, and 
 which make us gratefully bow to Him as our Merciful 
 Father, who not only makes us live, but renders life 
 agreeable. It is He who supplies our daily wants ; and 
 even before we came into the world He made ample 
 
GREAT MEN. 55 
 
 provisions necessar}- for our sustenance and well-being. 
 He taketh care of each one of us, and is the giver of 
 every good that we enjoy. This is a great fact, and 
 cannot be ignored — God's providence. There are some, 
 however, who affect to dispose of it as a general provi- 
 dence, the effect of God's general administration of the 
 world on each individual life, and therefore not a matter 
 for special thanksgiving. The imposing plausibility of 
 such an argument cannot pervert the unsophisticated 
 simplicity of human nature, or restrain its spontaneous 
 and generous impulses. Let these men argue that, as 
 God does not directly give into their hands their daily 
 bread, He can have no special claim on their gratitude, 
 for He shows no special goodness to them. Men with 
 simple and natural hearts will, however, believe that the 
 food they eat and the pleasures they enjoy are all the 
 gifts of Providence ; — the necessary effects of a general 
 economy, it is true, but not less the generous gifts of 
 special kindness to each individual recipient of the same. 
 Between general and special providence there is no 
 difference in fact. It is God's goodness viewed from 
 different stand-points that makes the distinction. The 
 Creator of the universe is the Father of each individual 
 man. All His dispensations are general as regards the 
 world at large, but they are special so far as they fall 
 within the bounds of our individual life, and are respec- 
 tively partaken by us. The same sun that gives light 
 
56 GREAT MEN. 
 
 and heat to millions of men, may be viewed either as a 
 part of the general economy of the world, conducive to 
 general prosperity, or it may be gratefully looked upon 
 by each individual man as manifesting God's mercy 
 towards him. Hence to each of us God stands in the 
 relation of Father, for the manifold blessings He daily 
 confers on us. And thus, while we worship God as the 
 Creator and Upholder of this vast and magnificent 
 universe as a totality, we offer Him the grateful homage 
 of our hearts as our Merciful Father for the particular 
 benefits we derive from His works. Behold the Supreme 
 Creator and Ruler of the universe — infinite in wisdom, 
 power, and goodness — immanent in matter, upholding it, 
 and quickening all its movements, and mercifully dis- 
 pensing joy and blessings to all His children. Such is 
 the revelation of nature. 
 
 But is God manifested only in matter ? Is the volume 
 of nature His only revelation to man — the only source 
 from which we are to derive our knowledge of His 
 nature and attributes, and our relations and obligations to 
 Him ? Does He call forth our homage and gratitude 
 simply by His wonderful manifestations in the world of 
 matter, and His merciful dispensation of physical com- 
 forts ? No. There is another revelation ; there is God in 
 History. He who created and upholds this vast universe, 
 also governs the destinies and affairs of nations. The 
 same hand which we trace in the lily and the rose, in 
 
GREAT MEN. 57 
 
 rivers and mountains, in the movements of the planets 
 and the surges of the sea, regulates the economy of 
 human society, and works unseen amid its mighty revo- 
 lutions, its striking vicissitudes, and its progressive move- 
 ments. History is not what superficial readers take it to 
 be, a barren record of meaningless facts, — a dry chronicle 
 of past events, whose evanescent interest vanished with 
 the age when they occurred. It is a most sublime reve- 
 lation of God, and is full of religious significance. It is 
 a vast sermon on God's providence, with copious and 
 varied illustrations. Grecian mythology represents Zeus, 
 the supreme ruler of the universe, as the father, and 
 Memory as the mother of Clio, the muse of history, 
 thereby showing that the nature of history is partly 
 divine and partly human. In fact, history is not 
 altogether secular; it is sacred. If, instead of merely 
 looking on the surface of facts and events, where only 
 human agency is visible, we dive beneath and trace them 
 to the great principles which underlie them, and the 
 energies which brought them about, we shall find that 
 the source of all the wisdom and power they display is 
 God. Like nature, history reveals the marvellous work- 
 ings of Providence. But in what manner does God 
 manifest Himself in history ? Through Great Men. For 
 what is history but the record of the achievements of 
 those extraordinary personages who appear from time to 
 time and lead mankind ? and what is it that we read 
 
58 GREAT MEN. 
 
 therein but the biography of such men ? The history of 
 the world, says Carlyle, is the biography of great men. 
 The interest of nations and epochs centres in them : 
 ehminate them, and you destroy all history. It is with 
 the masses of mankind as with armies : they act by their 
 leaders, themselves unknown and unnoticed. In reading 
 of battles, we invariably miss the names of the thousands 
 of common soldiers who fight on either side, and meet 
 the names only of their captains and leaders ; so in the 
 vast history of the world we miss the names of ordinary 
 men, whom Victor Cousin justly calls " the anonymous 
 beings of the human species;" only the names of great 
 men strike the eye and rivet our interest and sympathy. 
 Such men take the lead in all the great movements of 
 the world : the multitude always follow. They promi- 
 nently stand forth in the van of society, and can hardly 
 be confounded with ordinary men. A great man is a 
 giant amongst a race of pigmies : he towers above the 
 level of ordinary humanity. His greatness is unmis- 
 takable. It is through these great men, these leaders of 
 mankind, that God reveals Himself to us in history : in 
 short, they constitute what we mean by '' God in history." 
 Great Men have also been called Representative Men, 
 (jeniuses. Heroes, Prophets, Reformers, and Redeemers, 
 according to their various functions and characteristics. 
 Let us now proceed to inquire what it is that constitutes 
 great men : what are the distinctive features in their 
 
GREAT MEN. 59 
 
 character which give them pre-eminence, and distinguish 
 them from ordinary humanity. 
 
 But who are they, some may ask, on the very threshold 
 of the inquiry, that we should be so anxious about 
 them ? The student of history may study their career 
 with a -view to satisfy his literary curiosity, and add to 
 his stock of historical knowledge, and may feel astonished 
 as he reads their wonderful exploits ; but beyond this, 
 what are they to him ? They lived and died like other 
 men, performing their respective parts in the amphi- 
 theatre of history : probably they did gi-eat good to their 
 country, and evinced extraordinary ability and wisdom, 
 and for all this posterity will readily give them credit. 
 But what moral interest can we feel in them ? Whatever 
 importance they may possess as leading historic charac- 
 ters, are they of any religious importance to us ? Yes, 
 they are of the deepest interest and importance to our 
 souls. They are destined to subserve the most momen- 
 tous purposes in the moral economy of all men, of what- 
 ever race, or country, or age. With what is purely 
 personal, local, and contingent in them we have certainly 
 nothing to do ; but that which is divine and universal in 
 them, that which makes them great men, deeply concerns 
 us all, for it is God's gift to us. Nations rise and fall, 
 revolutions and wars make a wreck of society, but true 
 greatness always lives — a standing miracle and an 
 abiding revelation — to speak unto endless generations, 
 
6o GREAT MEN. 
 
 and unto all the nations of the earth, of the inscrutable 
 riches of God's wisdom, power, and goodness. This is 
 the sublime purpose of the lives of great men : this 
 makes every one of us feel a deep moral interest in 
 them, and leads us to place ourselves in an attitude of 
 reverent loyalty towards them, that we may receive from 
 them the precious boon which they were designed and 
 destined by God to confer on us. We cannot dishonour 
 or trifle with them ; we cannot dispose of them as mere 
 great historic characters with empty praise and admira- 
 tion ; we must regard them as God's manifestations to 
 each one of us, and so open the whole heart to them, 
 that it may be filled with all that is great, noble, and 
 divine in them. We should so love and revere them, 
 that under their influence, and with their aid, we may 
 find Him whom they reveal. 
 
 Great men are sent by God into the world to benefit 
 mankind. They are His apostles and missionaries, who 
 bring to us glad tidings from heaven ; and in order that 
 they may efi"ectually accomplish their errand, they are 
 endowed by Him with requisite power and talents. They 
 are created with a nature superior to that of others, 
 which is at once the testimonial of their apostleship and 
 the guarantee of their success. They are not made 
 great by culture or experience : they are born great. 
 They are ordained and sanctified as prophets at their 
 birth. They succeed, not because of any abiHty ac- 
 
GREAT MEN. 6i 
 
 quired through personal exertions, nor of any favourable 
 combination of outward circumstances, but by reason of 
 their inherent greatness. It is God's light that makes 
 them shine, and enables them to illumine the world. 
 He puts in their ver}- constitution something superhuman 
 and divine ; hence their greatness and superiority. They 
 are great on account of the large measure of divine 
 spirit which they possess and manifest. It is true they 
 are men ; but who will deny that they are above ordinary 
 humanity ? Though human, they are divine. This is 
 the striking peculiarity of all great men. In them we 
 see a strange and mysterious combination of the human 
 and divine nature, of the earthly and the heavenly. It 
 is easy to distinguish a great man, but it is difficult to 
 comprehend him. A deep mystery hangs over the root 
 of his life : the essence of his being is an inexplicable 
 riddle. Who can solve it ? That some nations have 
 carried their reverence for prophets so far as to deify 
 them, and worship them as God, or rather God in human 
 shape, does not in the least appear to me surprising or 
 unaccountable, however guilty they may be of man- 
 worship. For if a prophet is not God, is he a mere 
 man ? That cannot be. Such an hypothesis would not 
 adequately explain all the problems of his life. The 
 fact is, as I have already said, he is both divine and 
 human ; he is both God and man. He is a " God-man." 
 He is an "incarnation" of God. Yes, I look upon a 
 
62 GREAT MEN. 
 
 prophet as a divine incarnation ; in this sense, that he is 
 the spirit of God manifest in human flesh. True incar- 
 nation is not, as popular theology defines it, the absolute 
 perfection of the divine nature embodied in mortal form ; 
 it is not the God of the universe putting on a human 
 body, — the infinite becoming finite in space and time, in 
 intelligence and power. It simply means God manifest 
 in humanity; — not God made man, but God i7i man. 
 Man, however great he may be, however excellent and 
 divine his character, is human, and as such, liable to all 
 the imperfections and infirmities of man, and the thou- 
 sand evils which flesh is heir to. He is not generically 
 different from the human kind, but is simply exalted 
 above it in degree. Made of the same flesh and 
 blood, endowed with the same constitution as ordinary 
 men, he is far superior to them on account of the 
 high destiny of his life, the divine commission he bears, 
 and the large measure of moral force which he natu- 
 rally possesses for the successful accomplishment of the 
 same. When, therefore, he is honoured above others 
 as God's incarnation, we are to understand his supe- 
 riority to be one of degree, not of kind. For, it must 
 be admitted that every man is, in some measure, an 
 incarnation of the divine spirit. The constitution of man 
 is of a composite character; it is on the one hand gross, 
 carnal, and earthly, on the other holy, spiritual, and 
 heavenly. It is a strange combination of the lusts of the 
 
GREAT MEN. 63 
 
 flesh and the divine instincts of the soul. Do we not 
 feel that, though we are made of dust, there is within us 
 something which is not of this earth, which is immortal 
 and holy, born of heaven and destined for heaven ? Are 
 we not all conscious that, however sinful we may be, God 
 dwells in each of us, inherent in our very constitution ? 
 *' Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that 
 the spirit of God dwelleth in you ? " The wickedness 
 and foibles of man may be hated and pitied ; but when 
 we behold his conscience struggling successfully with sin 
 and temptations, and with self-sacrificing devotion up- 
 holding the cause of truth, are we not led to exclaim — 
 What is there on earth so noble as man ? The human 
 body is indeed the living tabernacle of the living God. 
 " There is but one temple in the universe," it has been 
 beautifully said, " and that is the body of man. Nothing 
 is holier than that high form. Bending before man is a 
 reverence done to this revelation in the flesh. We touch 
 heaven when we lay our hand on a human body." How- 
 ever shocking man's sinfulness may be, his godliness is 
 worthy of homage. If it is true he crawls and creeps on 
 the low platform of the world, it is equally true he soars 
 into the regions of heaven and enjoys its purer atmo- 
 sphere. Man is verily, as the poet describes him, "a 
 worm, a God," and he ought to be treated as such. If, 
 then, incarnation means the spirit of God manifest in 
 human flesh, certainly every man is an incarnation. 
 
64 GREAT MEN. 
 
 And great men are pre-eminently so, for they exhibit a 
 larger measure of the divine spirit. They are singularly 
 brilliant manifestations of that Eternal Light which all 
 men in some measure reflect. 
 
 Thus you see that great men are superhuman, and, I 
 may add, supernatural ; but there is nothing miraculous 
 about them, in the popular sense of that word, — there is 
 no deviation from the established laws of nature. They 
 are perfectly natural phenomena ; and if they are miracles, 
 they are only greater miracles than ordinary men. They 
 are supernatural only in the sense of being above ordi- 
 nary nature. None will deny that there are common 
 and uncommon, ordinary and extraordinary, things and 
 phenomena in the world ; but they are all included in 
 the established economy of nature. However extra- 
 ordinary a thing may be, it is not and cannot be at 
 variance with God's law. He governs the universe with 
 immutable and fixed laws, from which there can be no 
 deviation whatsoever. Beneath all outward anomalies 
 and apparent irregularities there lies the most perfect 
 harmony. There is no disorder in nature, but it resolves 
 itself into eternal order ; no violation of a known law, 
 but it is a fulfilment of a higher and latent law. That 
 there is something remarkably irregular in the lives and 
 career of great men, which ordinary facts and precedents 
 cannot account for or explain, few will deny. They 
 appear upon the stage of history irregularly, now and 
 
GREAT MEN. 65 
 
 then, after long intervals and at different places, play 
 their parts most singularly, following no custom or pre- 
 cedent, think and act as no contemporary does, and 
 though hated, reviled, and persecuted, convert millions 
 of souls to their ideas with amazing success and facility, 
 and with no other power but the power of those ideas 
 extend their conquests far and wide. And yet amidst all 
 these apparently unaccountable irregularities the deep 
 harmony of God's moral economy may be traced. Great 
 men, like comets, move in eccentric orbits. As the 
 course of comets seems irregular when compared with 
 the movements of planets, so does the career of great 
 men when compared with that of ordinary men. And 
 yet comets have orbits of their own, which are perfect 
 and regular in themselves. A comet, however strange it 
 may seem to us, is as much a natural phenomenon as a 
 planet, and the movements of both are regulated by the 
 same ruling hand of God. Similarly, a prophet, however 
 uncommon and eccentric and different from ordinary 
 men, is guided by the same unalterable law as they. 
 
 Great men appear when they are needed. In the 
 history of nations there occur now and then crises of a 
 very serious character, when the advancing tide of pro- 
 gress shakes the very foundations of society; at such 
 times certain great minds appear, being called forth by 
 the peculiar necessities of the age, who avert impending 
 perils, meet all existing wants, and remodel society on an 
 
 F 
 
66 GREAT MEN. 
 
 improved basis ; and they die when their work is over. 
 Such men are seldom bom in ordinary times, when 
 everything gHdes smoothly and quietly; for then they 
 are not wanted. Their lot is always cast in troublous 
 days; for they have to combat established errors and 
 prejudices, to revolutionize popular tastes and ideas. 
 They mark the transition-state of society, the turning- 
 point in the career of nations. The preceding age ends 
 and a new epoch commences in them. In the established 
 economy of Providence they are special dispensations, 
 to meet the pressing wants of humanity. Hence their 
 appearance is not a mere accident, a casual phenomenon, 
 but the sequence of a regular and constant law which 
 regulates the moral interests of mankind. Their birth is 
 always the result of a deep and irrepressible moral 
 necessity. Wherever and whenever peculiar circum- 
 stances demand a great man, the very pressure of that 
 demand drags him forth perforce. In God's moral 
 government, to feel a want is to get the thing needed. 
 Great men cast their shadows before. The circumstances 
 of the age foretell their birth; signs and prognostics 
 herald their advent. We see a peculiar fermentation and 
 upheaving and excitement on all sides. The spirit of 
 the age can no longer brook the tyranny of the past, and 
 shows restlessness and impatience and an earnest struggle 
 for enfranchisement. Amidst all this struggle and 
 turmoil, the travail of an age seeking to disburden itself, 
 
GREAT MEN. 67 
 
 the prophet is born. All the advanced men of the time 
 joyfully accept him as the promised liberator and re- 
 deemer, their heaven-appointed guide, and under his 
 leadership and with his aid carry on a terrible crusade 
 against prevalent errors and vices, and at last victoriously 
 unfurl the banners of liberty and truth in the midst of a 
 reformed nation. A prophet is said to regenerate his 
 people ; he infuses new life into them. In him the old 
 generation dies, and a new generation is born. Himself 
 the child of the past, he becomes in his turn the pro- 
 genitor of an altogether new race of men. As from one 
 small seed a whole forest may spring up, so one prophet 
 brings forth, by the law of moral development, many gene- 
 rations of reformed souls that lay potentially in him. 
 Born in his spirit, these new generations continue to 
 hve in him, and he in them. His spirit courses through 
 their veins and arteries, and moulds their character, their 
 ideas, and sentiments. They think his thoughts and feel 
 his feelings, and however much they may advance in the 
 path of reform, he is the root of the new life they lead. 
 
 Great men possess a representative character. They 
 are representative in a double sense : — i. They represent 
 their country and age ; 2. They represent specific ideas. 
 This quality is essential to greatness. I have already 
 said that the administration of the affairs of human 
 society is actually, though not apparently, earned on by 
 a few leading minds ; it is the aristocracy of great men 
 
68 GREAT MEN. 
 
 that governs the world. But this aristocracy is repre- 
 sentative, not arbitrary or despotic. Great men rule the 
 masses, not by reason of their superior talents and ener- 
 gies, but because they faithfully represent the interests of 
 those whom they govern. The secret of their guber- 
 natorial authority, and likewise of their successful ad- 
 ministration, lies in their unflinching fidelity to their 
 constituents. They are essentially and thoroughly 
 national in their sympathies, tastes, and ideas ; they are 
 strictly men of the people and men of the age. Among 
 a different nation and in a different age, they would be 
 altogether out of place. They represent only their own 
 people and their own age. A prophet is, in fact, the 
 highest embodiment of the spirit of his country and time, 
 — the leading type of contemporaneous nationality. In 
 him the people recognise their truest representative, and 
 they spontaneously and trustfully throw themselves on 
 his guidance. Nay, they often find that he understands 
 them better even than they, and enters more deeply into 
 their wants and wishes. It is this marvellous and mys- 
 terious sympathy which explains why he is preferred to 
 others, albeit wiser and abler far than he ; why he speaks 
 and is respected as one having authority above all others. 
 He rules because he seizes ; his people follow and obey 
 him, for he is among them as one that serveth. Their 
 loyalty is not the cringing servile allegiance of the vassal, 
 but the grateful homage of independent souls in recog- 
 
GREAT MEN. 69 
 
 nition of the services rendered by their representative 
 leader, — a noble testimonial of gratitude, worthy alike of 
 them who give and of him who receives it. It is not 
 " hero-worship," not the slavish bending of the knee to 
 mere power ; it is the tribute of respect and obedience 
 cheerfully paid to one who is not only an extraordinary 
 genius, but a representative ruler, who is not only a ruler, 
 but a faithful servant, who best represents their wants 
 and interests, and whom, therefore, they confidently in- 
 vest with supreme ruling authority over themselves. The 
 people honour themselves by honouring their prophet ; 
 and they glorify him only so far as he is true to 
 them. 
 
 What Napoleon said of himself, when asked to attend 
 to the education of his son, with a view to enable him to 
 become a fit successor, applies to all great men and 
 prophets. " Replace me ! " said he, somewhat astonished 
 at the suggestion ; "I cannot be replaced ; I am the 
 child of circumstances." This was no hollow boast ; 
 Napoleon said what he felt \ he mentioned a great fact 
 of his life, the secret of his pre-eminence and success. 
 His character and disposition and abilities were really 
 unique, and were not the result of training, but were 
 formed and moulded by the peculiar necessities of the 
 age. He was the man of the age, the representative 
 leader of his people. No amount of education or train- 
 ing could fit another for the position which he occupied. 
 
70 GREAT MEN. 
 
 You must not suppose that I mean to accord to Napoleon 
 a moral supremacy. No, I do not honour him as a 
 prophet. I need not be reminded that he had many fail- 
 ings, and even vices ; for all these he has been, and will 
 ever be, condemned. But that he was a great man in 
 his sphere, a great military genius, few will venture to 
 dispute. It was only because he stood forth as the 
 political representative of the people and the age, that he 
 became a successful ruler in the cabinet and the field ; 
 and hence he was fully justified in saying he could noi 
 be replaced by others. None but a Napoleon could fill 
 Napoleon's place. So with regard to every great man. 
 He cannot be replaced by others, however wise or power- 
 ful. They may be his superiors in many respects, but 
 they lack the essential attribute which makes him a great 
 man, — they are not representative ; the people would 
 not recognise them as their own. 
 
 Great men are representatives in another sense : they 
 represent particular ideas. Every great man comes into 
 the world with a certain great idea fixed in his mind^ 
 which it is his mission to realize and stamp on his age. 
 This idea is not an accident, but the essence of his being. 
 It is not a doctrine learnt from books or deduced by 
 reasoning. It is divinely implanted in his mind, it is 
 inseparable from his nature, and is intenvoven with his 
 being. It is not an acquired precept, but an inborn 
 principle of life. It is the governing principle of all his 
 
GREAT MEN. 71 
 
 thoughts, wishes, and aspirations ; the primary motive of 
 all his movements. He lives in it and for it. His life is 
 identified with his idea : his existence has only one 
 meaning — the development and realization of his idea.. 
 He does not live, as others do, for the attainment of 
 worldly happiness and honours ; he does not, like them, 
 pursue a variety of objects in the varied relations and 
 circumstances of life. The peculiar destiny of every great 
 man is to live and die for ofi£ idea. This idea is nothing 
 more than a definite plan of the particular reform needed 
 at the time ; it is a remedy for the manifold evils of the 
 age, a message of peace and emancipation to nations 
 groaning under social or spiritual oppression. It is this 
 idea that makes a great man a necessity of his age, as it 
 shows him forth as the reformer in whom ail the griev- 
 ances of the nation v/ill find redress. He cannot but be 
 a reformer. Around him he finds society degraded, 
 impoverished, and ruined; within him lies an ideal of 
 what society ought to be, which constantly and necessarily 
 seeks to realize and develop itself. His life is thus a life 
 of continued struggle, which ceases only with his life, 
 when his subjective idea is converted into an objective 
 reality. 
 
 From what I have already said, certain essential 
 characteristics peculiar to greatness may be inferred. 
 The first is absence of selfishness. Great men do not 
 live on their own account, they live for others. They 
 
72 GREAT MEN. 
 
 deny themselves the pleasures and honours of earthly- 
 existence, in order that others may be enriched and 
 exalted. They relieve and gladden their country by 
 bearing on their own shoulders the heavy weight of its 
 woes and sufferings. Even with their blood they wash 
 away the evils of the world. To live unto themselves is 
 not only wrong, but morally impossible; to seek the 
 welfare of others is not only right, but natural to them. 
 Their life is necessarily a life of self-abnegation. They 
 cannot be selfish. Self-interest can have no influence 
 on them whose interests are identified with those of 
 society, and in whom the national pulse beats, and the 
 national heart throbs. Constituted for public good, they 
 would pine and languish away if confined in the suffo- 
 cating atmosphere of a selfish existence. 
 
 Secondly, their sincerity. " Life is real, life is earnest," 
 is best illustrated in the lives of great men. They are 
 full of earnestness. They neither deceive themselves by 
 a mere fancy, nor do they impose upon others by 
 hypocrisy. Devoid of theatricality and sentimentalism, 
 they pursue their vocation in sober seriousness. There 
 is no show, no gorgeous display : all is real. Their 
 wisdom and devotion, their power and enthusiasm, are 
 not things of false glitter, held up to public gaze with a 
 view to secure fame or accomplish some sinister object of 
 worldly advancement, but sublime realities which extort 
 admiration by the very disregard of worldly distinction 
 
GREAT MEN. 73 
 
 which they manifest. Yet, alas ! many a prophet has 
 been, and continues to this day to be, ridiculed as an 
 idiot, or hated as an impostor, — as if a man could sacrifice 
 his all for a fiction, as if entire nations could be revolu- 
 tionized by a fraud and a deception. 
 
 Thirdly, the originality of their wisdom. Great men 
 do not borrow their thoughts and ideas from others ; 
 they do not blindly follow the example of any earthly 
 guide. Whatever they say, whatever they do in connec- 
 tion with their mission, they owe to the instincts and 
 impulses of their natural constitution. In the depth of 
 their minds lies the fountain of pure wisdom, from which 
 they unceasingly draw fresh suppHes of original truths. 
 Their wisdom is neither the result of hard study nor of 
 laborious dialectic exercises : it is the wisdom of faith. 
 They learn more by insight than by observation, experi- 
 ment, or reasoning. By their natural sagacity they at 
 once penetrate the very secret of things, which lies hid 
 from the perception of the acutest thinker, and by com- 
 mon sense they readily apprehend truths which stagger 
 the greatest intellects. Besides, the very nature of their 
 mission precludes the possibility of their depending upon 
 second-hand knowledge or the teachings of others. They 
 have to reform society as they find it, by preaching those 
 ideas and truths which it especially needs — a work alike 
 difficult and original, requiring original wisdom and skill 
 for its successful accomplishment. The accumulated 
 
74 GREAT MEN. 
 
 treasures of good precepts and good examples of former 
 times may be of some use in a general way, so far as 
 analogies may be discovered between the past and the 
 present; between other nations and the particular nation 
 to be reformed. But as the past never reproduces itself 
 in the world's history, and as no two national crises are 
 ever wholly alike, every work of revolutionary reform, 
 such as a great man has to perform, requires an amount 
 of original wisdom in discovering and communicating 
 truth which the past can never furnish, and which he 
 alone can bring to bear upon his mission from the 
 natural resources of his extraordinary mind. A prophet- 
 reformer is always a genius, an inspired man ; and when 
 he teaches, the world is astonished at his wisdom, and 
 says — Never man spake so before. 
 
 Lastly, their invincible power. All great men are 
 heroes. They have to fight, almost single-handed, 
 against established errors and national evils, and they 
 have consequently to achieve success against tremendous 
 odds. Hence they are armed with uncommon firmness 
 and determination, inflexible force of character, and a 
 strong will, that never yields and is above discomfiture ; 
 in short, they are possessed of spiritual strength and 
 resources commensurate with their gigantic undertaking, 
 and such as insure success. The very announcement of 
 his new ideas by the prophet excites the bitterness and 
 hatred of thousands wedded to the old state of things. 
 
GREAT MEN. 75 
 
 When he daringly proceeds to carr}' out his ideas into 
 practice, to demoUsh the sacred strongholds of popular 
 error and prejudice, he finds himself surrounded by an 
 overwhelming host of infuriated men, desperately re- 
 solved, primarily for self-defence, but subsequently for 
 mere malice's sake, to put down the dashing innovator. 
 FrowT.is and threats, reviling and slander, excommunica- 
 tion and privation, coercion and torture, and even brutal 
 attempts on hfe — all means are employed to accomplish 
 this object. But opposition, however violent and deadly, 
 cannot intimidate or overpower the mind of a hero : it 
 rather aggravates his holy zeal a hundredfold. Mindful 
 more of his mission than life, he offers a bold front to 
 the assaults of his enemies, and in the face of the direst 
 persecution establishes his kingdom and plants the 
 banner of the divine idea he represents. Hundreds, 
 overpowered by his influence, acknowledge his sove- 
 reignty and vow allegiance ; while thousands are made 
 unconscious captives, though professing disloyalty. 
 Thus outwardly and secretly the new reform idea 
 spreads, till it reaches the heart of the nation, and 
 gradually leavens the entire society. Often it happens 
 that the prophet's life is sacrificed by his persecutors. 
 This, far from arguing anything like weakness in him, 
 shows, on the contrary, his remarkable moral heroism, 
 which shrank not, but braved death itself for the sake of 
 truth. The mighty influence of such heroism proves 
 
76 GREAT MEN. 
 
 mightier far in death than in Hfe, for the blood of a 
 martyr always achieves more glorious and extensive 
 conquests than the most brilliant exploits he performed 
 in his lifetime. 
 
 But this power, it must be remembered, is not his 
 own ; it is God's power that upholds him in his struggles 
 and trials. It is his steady and devoted reliance upon 
 the Almighty arm that enables him to bear down the 
 most formidable opposition, vanquish emperors and 
 sovereigns, and establish mastery over nations and 
 generations. He himself feels that, if he is bereft of 
 divine succour and left to his own limited resources, he 
 would at once sink under the weight of his trials. His 
 heart faints and falters, trembles and shudders as he 
 looks upon the vast sea of difficulties on which his frail 
 bark floats, and the rising and roaring surges which every 
 moment beat against it ; and with childlike humility 
 and trust he looks up steadily to that Almighty Protector 
 who summoned him to the perilous enterprise, and who 
 alone can help him to steer safely on. A prophet, 
 though strong, is always humble : confident of divine 
 help, he is ever diffident about his own powers. He is 
 then only successful when he fights in God's strength, 
 not his own. His manliness is proportionate to his child- 
 like simplicity. 
 
 The first chapter of Jeremiah, in the Old Testament, 
 contains a beautiful passage which describes figuratively 
 
GREAT MEN, 77 
 
 the action of God's spirit on prophets. Jeremiah 
 says : — 
 
 ** Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed 
 thee in the belly I knew thee ; and before thou earnest forth out of 
 the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the 
 nations. 
 
 ** Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak : for I am 
 a child. 
 
 " But the^Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child : for thou shalt 
 go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou 
 shalt speak. 
 
 " Be not afraid of their faces : for I am A^dth thee to deliver thee, 
 saith the Lord. 
 
 "For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an 
 iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings 
 of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and 
 against the people of the land." 
 
 The first verse evidently sets forth the important truth 
 I have already enunciated, that a great man is never 
 made great, he is bom great. He receives his com- 
 mission and ordination from God Himself, and is sent 
 by Him into the world for the benefit of nations. 
 Though divinely ordained, however, he feels he has no 
 ability to fulfil the great mission with which he is 
 entrusted : he has no wisdom, no power ; he is ignorant 
 and weak, he is helpless as a child. The Lord, however, 
 assures him of His protection and guidance, vouchsafes 
 to him adequate strength and courage, and makes him 
 " a defenced city and an iron pillar " in the midst of 
 opposition. Hence victory ever flies round the prophet's 
 
78 GREAT MEN. 
 
 banners, for with divine aid he encounters human 
 opposition. 
 
 History bears ample testimony to the extraordinary 
 moral courage and heroism of prophets and great men, 
 and the vast influence they exercise on the destinies of 
 nations. The mighty Luther shook Europe to its 
 foundations by his vigorous and fearless protests against 
 the errors of Popery. No amount of opposition intimi- 
 dated him ; his adamantine will knew not how to bend. 
 When, stretching forth his right hand, he consigned the 
 Pope's bull to the flames, he only gave proof of that holy 
 fire of enthusiasm in his own mind which was to burn up 
 the impurities of the age. While proceeding to Worms 
 to defend himself publicly, and give an explanation of 
 his doctrines, he refused to adopt the measures of safety 
 recommended by his friends, saying, — " Were there as 
 many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the house- 
 tops, still I would go." Methinks the whole land trembled 
 under his manly strides as he boldly went on. All Europe, 
 yea, the world, anxiously looked forward to the great day 
 which was to decide the destiny of Christianity, and with 
 throbbing hearts awaited its issues. None knew what 
 was to come out of all that commotion of the age. 
 Emperors and princes and potentates met together on 
 the appointed day, and amidst the assembled representa- 
 tives of Europe's wealth, rank, and power, Luther stood 
 undaunted as an apostle of freedom, and nobly asserted 
 
GREAT MEN. 79 
 
 and vindicated his doctrines, and concluded by saying : — 
 " I cannot and will not retract, for we must never act 
 contrary to our conscience. I have done : God help 
 me ! " Though many and redoubtable were his enemies, 
 and deep-rooted and sacred the errors which he com- 
 bated, his cause at last triumphed, and with it the sink- 
 ing pulse of Europe revived. Yes, there was a revival 
 of a radical and comprehensive character — a revival of 
 the soul as well as the intellect, and even of industr}^, in 
 varied forms of activity. Society was altogether re- 
 organized on a new basis, and a new life was infused 
 into its organism. Imagine the depth and extent of 
 Luther's influence. Wherever there are Protestant na- 
 tions or individuals, there his spirit is manifest in 
 glory; and all the fruits which the world has reaped 
 from the Reformation are directly or indirectly the fruits 
 of his labours. What Luther did on a large scale in 
 Europe, John Knox accompHshed on a small scale in 
 Scotland. His power of mind w^as immense, as his 
 stupendous deeds will testify. Even when a galley-slave, 
 he contemptuously remarked with reference to a painting 
 of the Virgin — it is a " pented bredd, fitter for swimming 
 than for being worshipped." Ever since, his enthusiasm 
 in the cause of religious refoniiation was formidable, and 
 he suffered no obstacle to stand in the way of his 
 mission. Single-handed he fought, and he not only 
 succeeded in planting the banners of the Refonnation 
 
8o GREAT MEN. 
 
 among his countrymen, but he also made the Scotch 
 nation. He found Scotland enveloped in darkness, 
 Popery, and dissension ; he it was who enlightened, 
 civilized, and regenerated it. Looking at the Scotch 
 before his time, we find only a number of scattered 
 tribes and clans united by no common interest, led away 
 by proud and turbulent leaders into ceaseless intestine 
 quarrels and feuds to gratify their ambition, no middle 
 class to adjust the relations between the common people 
 and their rulers, and keep them in equilibrium ; in short, 
 we find only confusion, discord, and barbarism. But 
 to-day they are a noble people, a nation with independent 
 and distinct national church and literature. And if you 
 trace this glorious change to its source, you will find it 
 due to the stem-minded reformer Knox. Turn we now 
 to the East for similar illustrations of the power of great 
 men. History tells us that when Mahomet entered on 
 his iconoclastic mission, he was all fire ; nothing could 
 damp or quench his pious ardour. He was desperate 
 even to fanaticism. If the sun stood on his right 
 hand, said he, and the moon on his left, ordering him to 
 hold his peace, he could not obey. And his success 
 in estabhshing Monotheism amidst the dense mass 
 of ignorance and idolatry which prevailed at the time 
 was really amazing. Behold millions owning subjection 
 to the crescent in various parts of the world, and offering 
 their five daily prayers to the ITnseen and One Only God ! 
 
GREAT MEN. 8i 
 
 Drawing nearer home, we meet with an example of far 
 greater interest to our countrymen, on account of its 
 national affinity, and one with which, therefore, we are 
 likely to sympathize more readily and lovingly. Three 
 hundred years ago, when Bengal lay divided between 
 empty ritualism and Vedantic contemplation on the one 
 hand, and the immoral orgies and bacchanalian revelry 
 of the Shakti worshippers on the other, when under 
 proud priestly domination the vast bulk of the Sudra 
 population were almost excluded from the advantages of 
 religious life, Chaitanya, the great prophet of love and 
 faith, appeared, and by precept and example exerted 
 mighty influence to suppress these combined evils.* The 
 dead and dry religion of wisdom and works succumbed 
 to the living and sweet doctrine of Bhakti he preached ; 
 the tide of sensuality was checked by his simplicity and 
 purity of life ; and the proud head of caste was laid low 
 under the overpowering weight of that love of God which 
 he taught and evinced. By infusing the element of faith 
 into dead Hinduism he gave it new life, and made it an 
 effective instrument of conversion. Religion was no 
 longer the monopoly of the learned and the respectable, 
 
 * Chaitanya (1485— 1527) was a celebrated Eengali enthusiast, 
 who wrote and preached on Bhakti, or Faith. An account of his 
 doctrines, and of the sects which resulted from his teaching, will be 
 found in Professor H. H. Wilson's Works, vol. i. 
 
 Mlecha is a term of contempt used by orthodox Hindus to denote 
 those who are not Hindus. —Ed. 
 
S2 GREAT MEN. 
 
 but the most degraded and hated, the meanest and 
 lowest, were declared eligible to God's kingdom through 
 faith. When the new gospel of love was announced, 
 thousands upon thousands came and swelled Chaitanya's 
 ranks with enthusiasm ; Brahmins and Chandals danced 
 together, rejoicing in their God of love. Nay — would 
 you believe it? — Mahometans, despite the curse which 
 Hinduism still attaches to the Mlecha^s name, were wel- 
 comed and freely admitted into the new church. It is 
 indeed impossible to exaggerate the power of him w^ho 
 effected such momentous reforms as these in the Hindu 
 church — reforms from which English educated natives, 
 with all their boasted enlightenment and civilization, and 
 with all their organized and combined power, so ignobly 
 recoil even at the present day. Chaitanya, by the power 
 of love and faith, achieved triumphs which must appear 
 to be a wonder to my educated countrymen. Such is 
 the marvellous power, and such the incomprehensible 
 greatness, of prophet-reformers. 
 
 Is it not, then, our duty, I ask, and shall we not esteem 
 it a privilege, to render unto prophets and great men the 
 humble tribute of our gratitude and esteem ? The im- 
 mense service they render to mankind, and the noble 
 characteristics which distinguish them, — their deep wisdom 
 and invincible power, their rigid self denial and fervent 
 devotion, challenge the spontaneous gratitude and esteem 
 of all men. To honour them is no meanness, no syco- 
 
GREAT MEN. 83 
 
 phancy; no sordid " Boswellism," no idolatrous -'hero- 
 worship," as some fooUshly imagine. To honour them is 
 to honour our benefactors, and to glorify the greatness of 
 human nature. We cannot, we dare not, slight them. 
 They are of universal interest and importance. Their 
 lives deserve our careful study; their greatness should 
 excite our earnest aspiration. They are designed by 
 Providence for our study and imitation. " Lives of great 
 men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime;'' nay, 
 they stir up our best energies to attain that sublimity of 
 which they afford living examples. In precepts and doc- 
 trines there is indeed much to enlighten the mind : but 
 what can more effectively quicken it than examples ? Life 
 alone can give Hfe ; and, above all, the life of heaven - 
 appointed prophets. It is what they have actually done 
 that makes us understand the loftiness and sublimity 
 which humanity is capable of, and impels us forcibly to 
 attain that loftiness and sublimity. The world is vastly 
 indebted to them : they are the glory, the pride of man- 
 kind ; we boast of them ; we naturally feel grateful to 
 them. AA^e thank Him who sends them for our benefit, 
 and whom, as His servants and messengers, they in some 
 measure reveal. 
 
 Let not our homage, however, be exclusively confined 
 to any one of them, and withheld from the rest. Wc 
 must honour all of them, unbiassed by local influences, 
 party feeling, or sectarian bigotry. It is the want of this 
 
84 GREAT MEN. 
 
 catholic spirit, it is the evil of awarding exclusive honour 
 to particular prophets, that has filled the religious world 
 with jealousies, hatred, and sanguinary strife, and made 
 their followers plunge the dagger of brutal animosity into 
 each other's breast. In fact, it is this which has mainly 
 originated sectarianism and multiplied hostile churches. 
 In many cases, again, such exclusive honour has been 
 carried so far as to assume the form of deification. 
 Struck with amazement at the superhuman character of 
 their prophet, men have, in the blind zeal of extreme 
 devotion, exalted him to divinity, and identified him "with 
 the Godhead ; and while adoring their own prophet as 
 the God of salvation, they have condemned all other 
 prophets as false prophets, who lead their followers to 
 perdition. It is indeed painful to contemplate the two- 
 fold evil of such sectarian bigotry. Man, mortal man, 
 with all his frailties and shortcomings, is deified and 
 worshipped ; and to him is rendered that supreme adora- 
 tion which belongs to God alone ! This idolatrous 
 bending of the knee before man is an insult to Heaven, 
 and an audacious violation of that entire loyalty and 
 allegiance to God which is demanded of every true 
 believer. Like every other form of idolatry, it is a treason 
 against God, which pollutes the heart and degrades the 
 soul. On the other hand, equally mischievous, if not 
 equally sacrilegious, is the rancour with which every 
 prophet is hated and cursed by the followers of another 
 
GREAT MEN. 85 
 
 prophet. Every religious sect shuts up truth, inspiration, 
 and holiness in its own narrow church, and looks upon 
 the life and labours of its prophets as the only saving 
 dispensation of Providence ; while all prophets and truths 
 that lie beyond its church are condemned as impostors 
 and lies. This is making God the God of a clan, a 
 country, and an epoch, instead of, as He is, the God of 
 all mankind, of all space, and of all time. All true 
 believers acknowledge the Supreme Creator of the uni- 
 verse as the sole object of adoration and worship ; and 
 as He is eternal and omnipresent, and His providence 
 universal, they treat with reverence and gratitude the 
 various dispensations of His grace, made at different 
 times and in different countries for the benefit of man- 
 kind. They see Him revealed throughout the length 
 and breadth of animate and inanimate creation ; they 
 behold His general providence in all the ordinary events 
 and phenomena of nature's economy ; w^hile his special 
 providence they devoutly trace in those special dispensa- 
 tions which He from time to time makes through His 
 prophets to save whole nations from error and iniquity. 
 The lives of all such prophets are accepted reverently as 
 God's Revelation in History : various and different they 
 may be in their peculiar features and local adaptations, 
 yet, as regards the universal and eternal principles they 
 represent, they are parts of the same divine economy, 
 and subserve, more or less, in the hands of God, the 
 
86 GREAT MEN. 
 
 same grand purposes of revelation and redemption. 
 Each of the prophets came into the world as a messenger 
 of God, bearing a distinct message of glad tidings which 
 he contributed to the cause of religious enlightenment 
 and progress. We must then freely honour all of them, 
 and gratefully accept from each what he has to deliver, 
 instead of binding ourselves as slaves to any particular 
 person as the only chosen prophet of God. For " at sun- 
 dr)' times and in divers manners God spake in time past 
 unto the fathers by the prophets." And though Jesus 
 Christ, the Prince of Prophets, effected greater wonders, 
 and did infinitely more good to the world than the others, 
 and deserves therefore our profoundest reverence, we 
 must not neglect that chain, or any single link in that 
 chain, of prophets that preceded him, and prepared the 
 world for him ; nor m.ust v/e refuse honour to those who, 
 coming after him, have carried on the blessed work of 
 human regeneration for which he lived and died. Let 
 sectarianism perish, then. Let denominational and 
 geographical boundaries be for ever forgotten, and let all 
 nations unite in celebrating a universal festival in honour 
 of all prophets, regarding them as the Elder Brothers of 
 the human race. Hindu brethren, as ye honour your 
 prophets, honour ye likewise the illustrious reformers and 
 great men of Christendom. I know, my educated 
 countrymen, you appreciate and honour England's im- 
 mortal bard, Shakespeare, the greatest literary genius of 
 
GREAT MEN. 87 
 
 the "West ; and you honour too the mihtary, and poHtical, 
 and scientific great men whose briUiant deeds shed lustre 
 on the profane history of Christian nations. Why should 
 you scruple then to pay the tribute of your esteem and 
 gratitude to the religious geniuses, the inspired prophets 
 of Christendom, who have nourished and enriched its 
 soul, and, in fact, the soul of humanity at large ? To you, 
 my Christian brethren, also, 1 humbly say — as ye honour 
 your prophets, honour ye likewise the prophets of the 
 East. Thus hostile churches, and the dismembered 
 races of mankind, shall be knit together in one family, in 
 the bonds of universal faith in the common Father, and 
 universal gratitude and esteem towards their elder 
 brothers, the Prophets. 
 
 The last and highest mode of revelation remains to be 
 described. I have spoken of God in Nature, and then 
 of God in History ; but both these forms of divine 
 manifestation are external. The one to which I am 
 about to draw^ your attention is internal, and comes 
 home to our hearts, viz., God in the Soul. ' The striking 
 evidences of the Great Creator's power, wisdom, and 
 goodness, which are stamped on the whole face of animate 
 and inanimate creation, do indeed exalt the believer's 
 heart to Him ; but far greater is the influence of the lives 
 of great men, which, coming with all the moral force of 
 example, animates and bestirs us to a life of wisdom, 
 piety, and righteousness. Nothing, however, can bear 
 
88 GREAT MEN. 
 
 comparison with the ahuighty power of Inspiration— the 
 direct breathing-in of God's spirit — which infuses an 
 altogether new life into the soul, and exalts it above all 
 that is earthly and impure. It is the more powerful, 
 being God's direct and immediate action on the human 
 soul, while the revelation made through physical nature 
 and biography is indirect and mediate. In these latter 
 modes of divine manifestation truth is received at 
 second hand ; God is seen as reflected in a mirror, and 
 often, alas ! refracted through its imperfections. Divinity 
 is represented in the world of matter — in flowing brooks 
 and stupendous mountains, in the radiant sun, the serene 
 moon, and the vast starry convex ; it is also represented 
 in the thrilling precepts and the quickening deeds of 
 great men. But in inspiration the Supreme Soul is pre- 
 sented to us in our own finite souls, and His saving light 
 falls directly upon the eye of faith. The spirit of God 
 directly shines upon the soul like the meridian sun, and 
 illumines and warms the entire spiritual nature of man \ 
 it bursts Hke a resistless flood into the heart, sweeps 
 away ignorance and doubt, impurity and wickedness, 
 and converts even the hard stony heart of a con- 
 firmed sinner into a garden smiling in all the luxuri- 
 ance of spiritual harvests, — of faith, love, and purity. 
 The highesf revelation, then, is inspiration, where 
 spirit communes with spirit, face to face, without 
 any mediation whatsoever. The influence of inspira- 
 
GREAT MEN. 89 
 
 tion is absorbing, not partial \ it is not superficial 
 and skin-deep ; but, like leaven, it leaveneth the whole 
 life. Its process is not slow and calculating, but revo- 
 lutionary. Inspiration does not deal out particular truths 
 and particular forms of purity to satisfy a few special 
 wants : it altogether converts and regenerates the soul. 
 It does not seek to cut off the spreading branches of 
 corruption ; it destroys the root of evil in the perverted 
 heart, and sows there a new seed of divine life. Its 
 mode of operation differs essentially from those which 
 worldly moralists and reformers prescribe for the eradica- 
 tion of vice and the improvement of individual and 
 national character. Here we see no appeal to reason or 
 public opinion, no calculation of profit and loss according 
 to the arithmetic of expediency, no reference to conse- 
 quences. Nor do we find here that slow process of 
 moral discipline and restraint which seeks to school all 
 the lower propensities and passions into obedience, and 
 place them under the authority of conscience. The vast 
 majority of mankind, whatever their convictions may be, 
 are practically swayed by worldly motives in their social 
 as well as religious pursuits ; utility is the sole guide of 
 their moral life \ they could hardly be persuaded to 
 recognise or practise any duty which involves temporal 
 loss of any kind, and interferes with worldly happiness and 
 interest. Those, however, who really desire to be good, 
 and are sincerely anxious for their reformation, pronounce 
 
90 GREAT MEN. 
 
 the doctrine of expediency false and pernicious, recognise 
 conscience as the supreme guide — the vicegerent of God 
 in the human breast — and endeavour to bring all refrac- 
 tory passions and motives, all thoughts, words, and deeds, 
 under its discipline. They go through a systematic pro- 
 cess of training and self-control, guarding against every 
 possible evil, curbing down every little sin as it rises, 
 breaking every vicious habit by constant and un\vearied 
 conflict, and employing all available means for the 
 government and purification of the heart. They who 
 simply seek deliverance from sin must go through this 
 process of incessant struggle and self-control. But the 
 soul needs more ; it wants some positive vantage-ground 
 of holiness, where it may abide in peace, safe against 
 temptation. It seeks to be not only not worldly, not 
 immoral, but positively holy. It wants godly life, and 
 this can never be had by the most rigid tension of mental 
 discipline, or the highest effort of human will. Divine 
 life can only be secured by divine grace— it comes 
 pouring into the soul from Him who is its source. This 
 is inspiration ; it is the direct action of the Holy Spirit. 
 It is God's free gift, not man's acquisition. It comes 
 not through our calculation or reasoning, not through 
 our industry or struggle, but through prayerful reliance 
 upon God's mercy. It cannot be purchased by our 
 wisdom or our good works. The Merciful God vouch- 
 safes inspiration unto the heart which panteth after it. 
 
GREAT MEN. 91 
 
 Behold the man^ellous effects of divine inspiration ! It 
 does not, like human agencies of reform, merely lead the 
 intellect to truth, the heart to love, or the will to practical 
 righteousness \ but it thrills and enlivens the whole 
 spiritual being of man with a sort of holy excitement and 
 frenzy, and carries him by the hair into the very presence 
 of God, and there breathes into him new life. It revolu- 
 tionizes the very foundations of the old carnal life, and 
 effects a radical reform in the vital mainspring of man's 
 motives, wishes, words, and deeds ; it marks a turning- 
 point in his histor}-. It kills the " old man,*' and kindles 
 his ashes into an altogether new creature. This is true 
 spiritual Baptism — baptism, not with water, but with fire. 
 We care not^ to be baptized with the cold water of 
 logical persuasion and the lifeless ay and nay of 
 dogmatic theology \ but we all need to be baptized 
 into new life with the fire of inspiration and enthu- 
 siasm. In other words, if we all desire holy life, we 
 must become enthusiastic. Through proper self-culture, 
 men have in all ages attained virtue and morality : but 
 never man became regenerate and godly without the 
 fire of enthusiasm enkindled by the Holy Spirit. The 
 human mind, unaided, however great its wisdom and 
 power may be, is no match for the vile passions and lusts 
 of the flesh. WTien they once rise with all their demo- 
 niac fury and frenzy, no convincing precept of ethics, no 
 amount of human energ}- can quell them. To this all 
 
92 GREAT MEN. 
 
 our experiences with one voice testify. But when the 
 Holy Spirit reinforces the sinking spirit of man with an 
 influx of divine enthusiasm, the rising surges of unruly 
 passions subside as if under magic power. Only passion 
 can vanquish passion ; and a most formidable and un- 
 conquerable passion is enthusiasm. When it rushes with 
 full force into the soul, all carnal passions readily ebb away. 
 Lust, anger, covetousness, envy, and malice ; doubt and 
 despair ; weakness, inconstancy, and hypocrisy ; in fact, 
 all sins of the mind, heart, and the will, retire from the 
 enthusiastic soul, and dare not encroach upon what is 
 consecrated to God and protected by His almighty arm. 
 For enthusiasm is not a faculty or feeling, but is a per- 
 vading passion of life ; it combines in it all that is excel- 
 lent in wisdom, emotion, and energy, and is a remedy 
 for every form of sin and corruption. It keeps man in a 
 state of holy excitement ; it makes him live in God ; and 
 thus protects him from every thought, word, or deed 
 that is unholy. In enthusiasm duty and desire coalesce, 
 and form a settled principle of life. Man then loves 
 holiness with passionate attachment, and hungers and 
 thirsts after his God. He is seized with the frenzy of 
 devotion, and is not only above sin, but also above 
 temptation ; for nothing is then attractive to him except 
 holiness. Such frenzy, essential as it is to divine life, is 
 but madness in the sight of the world, and must excite 
 ridicule and contempt. One who has realized God in 
 
GREAT MEN. 93 
 
 his own soul, and has been inspired with enthusiastic 
 love and fidelity towards Him, and who loves only His 
 company and His service, lives in heaven, though on 
 earth ; and all that he says and does must be scoffed at 
 as madness by those who live unregenerate in the flesh ; 
 and though he may say, — " I am not mad, most noble 
 Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness," 
 — his words avail not to convince the world. Such 
 enthusiastic souls, men born again through fire-baptism, 
 live in the Kingdom of God, and enjoy, here and here- 
 after, the supreme felicity of living and loving commu- 
 nion with Him in the inner temple of their heart. 
 
REGEXERATIXG FAITH. 
 
 A Sermon preached on the occasion of the Thirty-eighth Anni- 
 versary of the Brahmo Somaj, January 24, 1868. 
 
IT is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the 
 subject before us. It involves some of the most 
 momentous principles affecting our spiritual interests, and 
 also some very delicate points of controversial theology, to 
 which it is hardly possible to do justice in such a mixed 
 congregation as this ; and indeed I should have hesitated 
 to discourse on such a subject, did I not know it to be 
 quite possible to treat it from a safe, broad, and catholic 
 stand-point. The multiplicity of churches and creeds we 
 behold in the world is quite perplexing and embarrassing. 
 Each church gives its peculiar solution to the problem of 
 human salvation ; each has its own theory of redeeming 
 and regenerating faith. From such a heterogeneous 
 mass of conflicting theories, it is difficult to evolve any- 
 thing like order or unity ; nor is it my present purpose to 
 apply myself to such a task. In discussing the subject 
 of the evening I shall avoid altogether controverted 
 questions of polemical theology, and meet you as far as 
 possible on common ground. I mean to proceed upon 
 those general and admitted principles of belief — admitted 
 at least by the intelligent congregation before me — which 
 
 H 
 
98 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 constitute the essence of universal and absolute religion^ 
 and challenge the assent of every unprejudiced mind. 
 And from these simple and catholic principles only I 
 hope to educe what appears to me to be the right idea of 
 regenerating faith. 
 
 However obvious and simple the fundamental truths 
 of speculative and practical Theism may be, and however 
 supported they may be by common consent, a small 
 amount of reflection will suffice to show that there are 
 some very important points of disagreement amongst 
 those who profess to believe in them. The fact is, — 
 leaving aside the countless variety of sectarian creeds, — 
 even in regard to catholic and essential truths, religion, 
 as it prevails in the world, admits of a twofold classifica- 
 tion, and each system presents peculiar features which 
 clearly distinguish it from the other. The material dis- 
 tinction which exists between these two systems of reli- 
 gion deserves our careful attention. In both these 
 systems we find the same fundamental ideas and truths 
 of rehgion. Both recognise the One God, and acknow- 
 ledge His infinite power and wisdom, love and holiness ; 
 both admit the moral accountability of man, and the 
 existence of a future state of rewards and punishments ; 
 both denounce sin and afford incentives to virtue and 
 righteousness. Yet there is a vast and almost impassable 
 gulf between them. Both spring up originally from the 
 same root, but soon branch off in different and opposite 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 99 
 
 directions. Born of the same parentage, they vary in the 
 course of their development, according to the influence 
 they respectively receive. They are one in their main 
 principles, but in the subsequent and final issues of these 
 principles there is great divergence — so much so, that I 
 feel justified in calHng the one the religion of the world, 
 and the other the religion of heaven \ the one, man-made, 
 the other God-made religion. It is no doubt the interest 
 of the world, and hence its constant endeavour, to con- 
 found and identify these two systems with each other, 
 and deny the distinction which subsists between them. 
 It is its interest to ignore heavenly religion, and pass off 
 that as God's truth which is mainly its own fabrication, 
 and this it seeks to do both by degrading what is 
 heavenly, and exalting as divine what is of the earth 
 earthy. This pious fraud requires to be shown up in its 
 true colours, and its evil effects exposed, that it may be 
 universally proscribed and execrated. It is awful to 
 contemplate the gravity and magnitude of the deception 
 itself, and the amount of worldliness and demoralization 
 and moral poverty it has been the means of producing in 
 the religious world. I am, therefore, the more anxious 
 to impress upon you, at the outset, the importance of 
 recognising the distinction between the religion of the 
 world and the saving religion of God, that you may avoid 
 the one and adopt the other. 
 
 In the religion of the world man is his own guide, and 
 
100 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 to a great extent his own saviour. He depends upon 
 his own faculties and powers for the attainment of truth, 
 and for deHverance from sin. Its prayer is — that man's 
 will may be done on earth in the name of God. Whereas 
 the prayer of heaven's creed is — that God's will may be 
 done on earth as it is in heaven. In the one, religion is 
 subordinated to man's judgment and wishes, and from 
 the decrees of Providence there is always an appeal to 
 human prudence for final decision. In the other, God's 
 will is absolute and immutable law, and His judgment 
 final and irreversible. In the one, we see a stereotyped 
 code of moral duties to be performed on the authority 
 and under the government of conscience, the vicegerent 
 of God in the human mind ; but in every case it is the 
 interpretation arbitrarily put upon the code by prudence 
 and expediency which actually rules the heart. In the 
 other, whatever is right must be done, whether expedient 
 or otherwise ; the heart offers unquestioning submission 
 to the Great Master's commands, however hostile they 
 may appear to be to its temporal interests, and instead 
 of audaciously endeavouring to accommodate God's 
 moral economy to its carnal requisitions, it seeks humbly 
 to exalt and adapt itself to the requirements of God's 
 law. The religion of the world may also be characterized 
 as the Old Testament creed. It suits man and meets his 
 requirements in the earlier stages of his religious life ; 
 it serves him as an efficient guide in the discharge of the 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. loi 
 
 manifold duties which he owes to himself, to society, and 
 to God ; it is an initiatory school of moral discipline, 
 where the infantine soul is trained to habits of honesty 
 and virtue. But as the soul grows up, in the individual 
 and in the nation, deeper wants arii discovered arid fqit, 
 and expanding experience points to . the .necessity of a 
 higher and nobler kind of faith.' Man* cannot rest satis- 
 fied with the Old Testament ; he wants the New Testa- 
 ment religion for his salvation. Nothing short of 
 regenerating faith can satisfy the normal necessities of 
 man. He may make himself virtuous in the estimation 
 of men ; he may screw himself into an attitude of respect- 
 able honesty by a mechanical and rigid adherence to 
 duty \ but there is no peace till the uncleanness of his 
 heart is washed off, and iniquity is plucked up by the 
 roots, and the erring son is reconciled to the Father in 
 purity and holiness. The soul, conscious as it is of its 
 imperfections and weaknesses, cannot possibly find rest 
 or ease in the Old Testament ethics, which simply says — 
 This thou shalt do. That thou shalt not do, — but cannot 
 convert the heart. It is the heart's inclination towards 
 evil that must be overcome, for even where sin is out- 
 wardly eschewed, the inward hungering of the carnal nature 
 for the forbidden fruit often continues. Man may fulfil the 
 law and perform the deeds of the law, but yet he is not 
 satisfied ; he has not got the one thing needful. The 
 trials and conflicts of his inner life press heavily upon 
 
102 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 him, and he humbly and earnestly asks — what shall I 
 do to be saved 1 And not till this great question is 
 fully solved by the cheering gospel of New Testament 
 faith can man enjoy true rest and enduring peace. 
 Hence is i;- iW-it'.Hll who really seek the blessings of sal- 
 cvatiop.np.tu rally try, to. pass beyond the little sphere of 
 Ihe 'rationalistic iind prudential religion of the world, and 
 the powerless ethics of the Old Testament, and press 
 forward to the kingdom of heaven, where man is 
 regenerated in truth and holiness, not by the law, but 
 by Divine grace. I would ask you, my brethren, indi- 
 vidually and collectively, whether, with all your know- 
 ledge of right and wrong, and your ideas of God and 
 immortality, you do not feel helpless, and often hopeless, 
 amidst the trials and temptations of the world ? In the 
 grand enterprises of moral life, and even in the petty 
 details of worldly transactions, you have always to make 
 a choice between good and evil, right and wrong ; and 
 you know very well what insuperable difficulties you have 
 to contend with in determining your will to pursue the 
 former and eschew the latter. I am ready to give you 
 credit for your force of character, your manliness, up- 
 rightness, benevolence, and philantliropy. But are your 
 hearts proof against temptation ? Is not the power of 
 evil greater than the power you have ? And, if you have 
 vanquished evil once, and in some of its forms, has it 
 not often captivated you in its more enticing forms ? Do 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 103 
 
 you not feel afraid that even those sins of your past life 
 which you have already destroyed and buried may one 
 day rise up from their graves, and again terrify you into 
 submission ? Ah ! my friends, we cannot but feel that, 
 situated as we are, we cannot repose in confident security. 
 The foundations of what the world calls " character " are 
 not strong and deep enough, and temptations may at 
 any time come in full showers and sweep it away. " Let 
 him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."' 
 Our conscience has the right to rule over us, but not the 
 might. God demands of us entire loyalty ; we fain would 
 give it, but we cannot; our lower propensities are so 
 rebellious, our higher nature so weak. In such circum- 
 stances what do we naturally wish to do in order to 
 afford our troubled hearts rest? We wish to throw off 
 the carnal nature, and live altogether in truth and God. 
 We would be free not only from actual sin, but from 
 hability and temptation to sin. We want, in short, a 
 new life — a life of divine holiness. This the world's 
 religion cannot give, though it may " reform " us. This 
 our wisdom and energy cannot secure, though they may 
 lead us to virtue and honesty. Let us then alienate our 
 hearts from the religion of the world, to which we are all 
 more or less attached, and trustfully rely upon the religion 
 of God, which alone can give us new life, holiness, and 
 peace. 
 
 Wliat is this new life as distinguished from the life 
 
104 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 which men ordinarily lead, and how is it to be attained ? 
 Man, you know, is a composite being ; he is possessed 
 of a bodily and a spiritual nature. This bodily nature he 
 has in common with the lower animals : like them, he 
 instinctively seeks the preservation and happiness of the 
 body ; Hke them, he is swayed by carnal appetites and 
 passions and the lusts of the flesh, which, when excited 
 by temptations, often prove irresistible, and lead him 
 into the extravagances of sensuality and sin, detrimental 
 alike to his own true interests and to those of society. 
 This low life of animals, which man leads in his natural 
 condition, — and which is made up of groveUing desires 
 and sensual gratifications, and is ever exposed to tempta- 
 tion and sin, — does not and cannot satisfy him as he 
 grows up to manhood : he must minister to the wants of 
 his soul, and seek the safety and welfare of his higher 
 nature. But what means does he usually employ to 
 accomplish this object ? He simply strives to impose 
 some kind of restraint on his carnal passions, and to 
 curb them as often as they prove refractory, always 
 holding the reins in his own hands. Such half-measures 
 seldom prove effectual, as our experiences amply testify. 
 The beast within us is too strong and intractable to be 
 subdued by a system of artificial self-restraint. The wild 
 fury of the carnal heart may be curbed for awhile by 
 threats, or mollified by persuasion, but so long as its 
 power of evil is not destroyed, it may at any time break 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 105 
 
 through the flimsy barriers within which it may be 
 encaged. The fact is, man retains within him the 
 perversity of his evil nature, his lusts and love of the 
 world, and only seeks, by restraining them a little, to 
 effect a compromise between religion and the world, his 
 secret object being no other than to reaHze a life of 
 convenient virtue. But this is not the new life man is 
 destined to attain. To have that, one must be altogether 
 above the old animal life, and enter upon a new and 
 higher sphere of existence, where he may seek the welfare 
 and happiness of the soul as naturally and as pas- 
 sionately as he seeks carnal enjoyments in the lower 
 stage of life. There must thus be a clear turning-point 
 in our career. This turning-point is Faith. Once 
 brought to this point, the heart of man undergoes a 
 marvellous change, — not a superficial change in his out- 
 ward pursuits or habits of thought and feeling, but a 
 constitutional and organic change in the root of his 
 being. He gives up his old ideas and schemes of self- 
 reformation, and believing that salvation cometh from 
 God alone, he puts his humble but firm faith in Him. 
 Thus arrogance and self-sufficiency make room for 
 humility and self-abnegation ; and instead of man 
 struggling in vain to help himself out of the slough of 
 wickedness, behold him humbly rising in the strength of 
 the Merciful God. Observe the distinction between the 
 two. Look at the worldly man, boasting of his patriotic 
 
io6 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 achievements as a reformer, or of the signal triumphs 
 achieved on the battle-field by his valour and prowess as 
 a soldier, or of his thorough honesty in some of the 
 most important and responsible positions of mercantile 
 life; — how proud and conceited he is — how rejoicingly 
 he glories in the honours which the world, as bhnd as 
 he, accords to him ! But how humble is the man of 
 faith ! His patriotism and heroism and honesty may be 
 truer, but yet they are counted as nothing : he feels that, 
 with all that, he himself is nothing, and that God is all, 
 and he humbles himself to the dust in order to exalt the 
 glory of his God. He beHeves and acts on the great 
 truth that man is justified by faith, and not by deeds, 
 however excellent. The worldly man's boasted prudence, 
 which, with such certainty and confidence, calculates 
 upon buying salvation >vith the limited resources of 
 human knowledge, power, and honesty, is but the 
 "arithmetic of fools;" but faith, which ignores human 
 power, and builds redemption on the rock of grace, is 
 wisdom indeed. The worldly man, in spite of his so- 
 called virtue, his respectable honesty, fails because of his 
 pride : the man of faith, in spite of his sins and short- 
 comings, succeeds at last because of his humility. Hence 
 it has been beautifully said, that " the first shall be last, 
 and the last first ;" and " whoso exalteth himself shall be 
 abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 
 Let us proceed to consider what Faith is. It has been 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 107 
 
 very appropriately defined to be " the evidence of things 
 not seen, and the substance of things hoped for." What 
 the eye is to things visible, what reason is to things 
 demonstrable, that is faith to the invisible reaHties of 
 the spirit world. Faith is the eye of the soul whereby 
 it sees spiritual realities, directly and vividly. For 
 verily the soul hath its eyes just as the body hath. 
 That is not true faith which passes as such in the world. 
 Nothing, indeed, is so common as to hear men talk of 
 their faith in God, as if it means the mere rudiments of 
 rehgious knowledge, which all who profess to believe in 
 His existence are sure to possess. On careful considera- 
 tion, however, such faith would appear to be nothing but 
 an intellectual cognition, an assent of the understanding 
 to the truth of the logical proposition — God is. It is 
 the result of reasoning ; it rests on arguments. And as 
 such, no doubt, all who are not thorough atheists have 
 it. But very few have faith in God in the true sense of 
 that term, namely, spiritual perception. Do we vividly 
 see His reality ? Do we feel His a^vful presence ? Un- 
 less we do so, how can we be said to have faith in Him ? 
 Now, in regard to the light before me, nobody doubts its 
 reality, — and why ? Because we all clearly see it ; it 
 is not argument or hearsay evidence, but eyesight that 
 assures us of its reality. No amount of false logic can 
 dim the clearness of our vision, or make us sceptical 
 about the reality of the light. Have we similar faith in 
 
io8 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 the reality of God and His attributes? As the eye 
 beholds this light, does the soul in the same manner and 
 with the same vividness perceive the Great God, who is 
 present in this hall in all His glory and majesty ? Do 
 we see Him as clearly as we see each other ? I admit 
 you all beHeve in His existence ; I admit you know that 
 He liveth everywhere and always, and that He is amongst 
 us now as a holy, righteous, and all-seeing God. But 
 such knowledge is not faith ; it cannot save you from 
 sin. You have known Him with the intellect ; but do 
 you see Him with the soul, do you feel Him with the 
 heart ? Ay, that is the question we have to decide. If 
 you are sincerely anxious for salvation, you cannot rest 
 satisfied with mere abstract ideas of God. You must 
 have that vivid faith which realizes the presence of the 
 living and personal God. 
 
 You may employ all available means of spiritual cul- 
 ture, but they are unprofitable without this vivid faith in 
 God. For that is the key without which you cannot 
 enter the kingdom of heaven. You may go to church 
 regularly, and hear most instructive and impressive ser- 
 mons; all the external appendages of divine service 
 may be admirably calculated to impress the mind with 
 solemnity and holiness ; but these cannot stir up men of 
 little faith. The preacher may descant in glowing and 
 thrilling language on God's justice, and holiness, and 
 love ; he may repeatedly point to Him as a Hving Wit- 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 109 
 
 ness present in the midst of the congregation ; but they 
 look about with vacant eyes and empty hearts, and see 
 nothing but vacancy and emptiness outside : they find 
 no God in God's house, and return home as sinful and 
 worldly-minded as when they entered the church. But 
 if you have faith, you will be enabled to convert empty 
 space into the constant abode of a dear and personal 
 God, and carry His holy presence about you as a light 
 in your paths ; you will move and breathe in an atmo- 
 sphere full of divine presence, and be above the malaria 
 and miasmata of the world. It cannot be denied that 
 the atmosphere which encompasses our daily life is satu- 
 rated vsith various evil influences which tend to darken, 
 depress, and defile the heart, and abounds with tempta- 
 tions which constantly inflame our carnal propensities, 
 and make us forgetful of God ; it is therefore essential to 
 our safety that w^e should move in an altogether different, 
 a purer and holier atmosphere. Faith alone can help us 
 to do this, by preserving us always in God's company, 
 and making Him unto us a shining Hght, and " a 
 very present help in trouble." Through faith we not 
 only reahze the Unseen Spirit, but dwell in Him, fear 
 Him as an ever-present Witness and Governor, and love 
 Him as a Father who never forsaketh us ; and, in short, 
 feel Him, in all places and at all times, in our up-rising 
 and down-sitting, as an encompassing presence not to be 
 put by. Such leaHzation of divine presence alone can 
 
1 1 o REGENERA TING FAITH. 
 
 effectually guard us against sin and temptation, and 
 enable us to inhale purity as freely, easily, and naturally 
 as we now inhale impurity in the atmosphere of the 
 world. Do not preach to me dogmas and traditions ; 
 talk not of saving my soul by mere theological arguments 
 and inferences. These I do not want ; I want the Hving 
 God, that I may dwell in Him, away from the bustle of 
 the world, and secure from its allurements. Nothing 
 short of this can satisfy me,— save me. That I may 
 become godly, I must first feel my God to be the greatest 
 and the dearest reaHty— a reaUty dearer than father and 
 .mother and friend, " dearer than son, dearer than wealth, 
 and dearer than everything else." If our love of man 
 and wealth is based on nothing short of an immediate 
 perception of their charming reality, why shall we allow 
 our love of our Heavenly Father, and of the riches of 
 His grace, to rest on weaker and lower testimony than 
 that of direct realization ? 
 
 In the same manner must we deal with the doctrine 
 of the immortality of the soul. I am aware you intel- 
 lectually believe this doctrine; but such belief is not 
 faith. You must learn to realize the next world through 
 faith, and so hold it vividly before you as a real sphere 
 of existence that it may influence your lives, and form a 
 mighty motive to virtue and righteousness. Faith is, as 
 I have said, " the evidence of things not seen ;" it is also, 
 as regards the life to come, " the substance of things 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. m 
 
 hoped for." It is the substratum, firm and immovable as 
 a rock, upon which our hopes of a blessed eternity rest. 
 Without it you may accept immortality as a dogma, and 
 rest satisfied with a mere logical inference based on the 
 common-place arguments of theology and ethics ; but 
 such intellectual belief is not only unable to deter you 
 effectually from sin, but is itself liable to be overpowered 
 by doubts and temptations. "WTiereas those who have 
 deep faith in imnrortality live for it, and are above doubts 
 and misgivings. 
 
 You must also have faith in Truth if you desire to be 
 regenerated. Nothing is so common nowadays as to 
 hear the educated natives of this country advocate elo- 
 quently the cause of truth, duty, and reformation. And 
 yet how few there are among them who really feel these 
 in their hearts, who have sincere faith in what they 
 declare to be right ! It is one thing to be able intel- 
 lectually to discriminate right from -s^Tong; it is a different 
 thing to realize and feel the distinction so as to follow 
 the one and abjure the other at all hazards. It is one 
 thing to expose and protest against the errors and abomi- 
 nations which afflict the country ; it is quite another thing 
 practically to eradicate them in the face of opposition. 
 The hour of trial has proved that the zeal which educated 
 natives exliibit in the cause of truth is generally of the 
 former kind, and that their eloquent patriotism is mere 
 vapoury sentimentalism. How many intellectual giants 
 
112 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 of our schools and colleges have been converted in after- 
 life into moral pigmies under the overpowering weight of 
 trials, and how strikingly has their boasted sense of truth 
 melted away into nothingness ! How many young men 
 who figured conspicuously in the envied heights of intel- 
 lectual eminence, adorned with university distinctions, 
 are now sunk in the depth of moral imbecility, false- 
 hood, and worldliness ! To what are we to attribute 
 such anomalies and inconsistencies ? Solely to want of 
 faith in truth. Granted, you are intelligent enough to un- 
 derstand what is right, and that you have already accepted 
 truth and eschewed falsehood intellectually; but you lack, 
 my friends, that strong and deep faith in truth, without 
 which you cannot discharge your duties with conscientious 
 fidelity and live in purity. If you had it, you would stand 
 firm and undaunted in the midst of awful trials, and never 
 defile yourselves with falsehood through fear of man or 
 love of gold. Already, I believe, the mind has done its 
 work by pointing out what is truth ; now you must quicken 
 the heart into the love of truth, and bestir the will to 
 conscientious action. Let your hearts be attached and 
 wedded to that truth which the mind has accepted, and 
 you will never forsake it. You would much rather deny 
 self and brave death than deny truth. You will learn to 
 honour truth above the riches and pleasures of the world, 
 and intrepidly sacrifice them, if need be, for its sake. 
 You will not fear man's face, for truth will then be dearer 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 113 
 
 to you than life itself. In the matter of your country's 
 reformation, you at present busily employ yourselves in 
 calculations of temporal loss and gain, and should the 
 result of your arithmetic be that what you know to be 
 right would, if perfonned, be disadvantageous in the long 
 run, and that the opposition you would excite would be 
 too much for you to withstand, you forthwith decide — it 
 ought not to be done ; and you knowingly prefer false- 
 hood and evil. This must be the case, my brethren, so 
 long as you have no faith in truth, and cannot, therefore, 
 realize its power. For verily God's truth is mighty, and 
 will prevail, though all the world were to rise in arms 
 against it. If you remember this, you will no longer 
 seek strength in number, or wait for combination and 
 organization ; you mil not seek to fortify your position 
 with wealth or political influence. But the very truth 
 you advocate will prove your shield and buckler, and 
 with its aid you will fearlessly wage war with all manner 
 of moral and social evil rampant in the land. As soon 
 as you hear God's command, you will boldly advance 
 with the banners of truth in the face of the direst oppo- 
 sition, perfectly confident of success. Those mountain- 
 like impediments and difficulties in your way, from which 
 you now so timidly recoil, will yield to the heavenly 
 power of your faith in truth. For be sure, "if ye have 
 faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this 
 mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall 
 
 I 
 
114 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." 
 And thus, where thousands of you have hitherto failed, 
 despite the advantages and resources of scholarship and 
 wealth, a handful of faithful believers, albeit ignorant and 
 poor, will achieve wonderful success with the mere power 
 of truth. If, then, you are really bent on reforming your 
 own souls and those of your countrymen at large, close 
 your debating societies, shut up your places of empty 
 discussion and hypocritical talk, and go forth, humbly 
 and earnestly, to perform your respective duties with 
 sincere faith in truth ; and I assure you, your success will 
 vastly exceed your most sanguine expectations. 
 
 Faith is preceded by sincere penitence, which paves 
 the way for it. Before the heart is converted to God 
 .through faith, it first feels the enormity of its wickedness, 
 looks with abhorrence upon the black spots of its past life, 
 and smarts under a keen sense of its own worthlessness ; 
 and the more it does so, the more it learns to distrust 
 self, and repose faith and trust in God as its only refuge 
 and hope. As in the history of the world, so in the 
 history of individuals, John the Baptist precedes Jesus 
 Christ, and prepares the way for him. " Repent, for the 
 kingdom of heaven is at hand," is a universal call to all 
 mankind ; for none is fitted to enter that kingdom or re- 
 ceive the gospel of saving faith, unless and until he repents. 
 There must be a plentiful shower of the waters of true 
 penitence to soften the hard heart of the sinner before 
 
REGENERATIXG FAITH. 115 
 
 the seed of regeneration can germinate and fructify. 
 John baptizes men with the water of repentance, and as 
 soon as his work is over, Jesus baptizes them with the 
 fire of faith into new Hfe. Remember that repentance 
 is only a preparatory process, and you are not to stop 
 there. John does not regenerate you ; he does not give 
 you rest or peace. He simply awakes you from your 
 death-like sleep with his solemn and stirring call, that you 
 may rise and be led by him unto Jesus, whose mission is 
 to give peace and life everlasting. True repentance is 
 thus only a preliminary and preparator}^ training. Many 
 are apt to forget this, and have recourse to repentance 
 as a price for salvation. Proud even in their so-called 
 humility, they mourn awhile, and perhaps shed tears in 
 abundance over their past transgressions, with a view to 
 wash off their impurities thereby. But such sentimen- 
 talism, however profound — such anguish, however deep — 
 cannot save the soul so long as there is no faith. Such 
 self-sufficient abnoiTnal repentance is as unavailing as 
 knowledge or good works without faith ; for all these are 
 the fruitless efforts after salvation of that proud religion 
 of the world of which I have spoken before, which makes 
 man his own saviour. Hence is it that many repent for 
 their sins, and yet are not saved ; for their penitence 
 means nothing more than a painful consciousness of sin, 
 and a determination to amend their life by dint of their 
 o\\'n efforts. It is pride in sackcloth and mourning, — it is 
 
ii6 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 arrogance in tears. But true penitence humbles man to 
 the dust, and makes him put his entire trust in the Lord 
 for the purpose of salvation. As such, repentance is 
 essential to faith; for not till man's proud head is 
 humbled down under an overpowering sense of his own 
 unworthiness would he cling to God's feet — not till he 
 distrusts himself would he trust the redeeming and all- 
 sufficient grace of God. Repentance begins the good 
 work of conversion, which faith and prayer carry on. By 
 opening the eyes of the sinner to his iniquities, it fosters a 
 longing for deliverance ; faith and prayer act as guides, 
 and safely lead the penitent sinner into the kingdom of 
 heaven, where he is regenerated by divine grace. 
 
 Let us now proceed to inquire what is the exact nature 
 of that state of regenerate existence into which faith 
 leads us. What are the characteristics and criteria of 
 regeneration? Regeneration, as I have already said, 
 means the death of the carnal nature which we have in 
 common with the lower animals, and the establishment 
 in its place of a complete spiritual life in God. It in- 
 volves two facts, — one negative, and the other positive, — 
 and is capable of two corresponding tests. In order that 
 a man may be regenerated, he must destroy his carnal 
 nature, — he must be dead to the senses, to self, and to 
 the world. Mere abstinence from corrupt indulgences 
 A\ill not do ; there must be an entire annihilation of the 
 sensual, selfish, and worldly cravings and propensities of 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 117 
 
 the heart. To make the matter clearer, the regenerate 
 man is unto the world and its temptations an altogether 
 dead man. Place before him all the treasures of the 
 world, they do not excite his avarice ; ply his senses with 
 the most enticing objects of sensual delight, his senses 
 cannot even feel their influence ; offer him all manner of 
 selfish enjoyments, these have no power over him; for 
 all his senses and carnal affections and self-love are dead, 
 and he is as impervious to temptation as a dead body. 
 No man can be accounted regenerate who does not 
 assume this attitude in relation to the various temptations 
 of the world ; for if the carnal propensities are in the 
 least inflamed or excited thereby, that would be a sure 
 indication of the presence of carnal life. In short, 
 neither he who seeks safety in avoiding temptations, nor 
 he who only now and then overcomes them, but he who 
 is altogether above the Hability to temptation, is entitled 
 to be called regenerate. But I have only described the 
 negative side of the process of regeneration. The soul 
 is not only to be dead to the world, but alive unto 
 God and truth ; it must not only retire from the world, 
 but enter into the kingdom of heaven. To stop short 
 at the negative work, as some unfortunately do, is 
 asceticism — mere self-mortification. This is unnatural, 
 and cannot be the end of human existence. In 
 the natural course of man's progress it is invariably 
 the case, that so soon as the body dies the spirit 
 
ii8 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 rises regenerated ; that in proportion to the mortifica- 
 tion of the carnal is the development of the spiritual 
 life ; and that the further the soul is from the world, the 
 nearer it is to the kingdom of God. In fact, carnal 
 death and spiritual life go together, and are inseparable 
 in the normal development of the soul ; they are only 
 two sides, as it were, of the same spiritual fact. The 
 realization of this fact in its entirety and fulness in our 
 life constitutes regeneration, and is the true criterion by 
 which it is to be tested. There are many in each of the 
 various religious denominations in the world who fondly 
 imagine they are amongst the regenerate, on the strength 
 of certain doctrines they have embraced, or certain 
 deeds they have performed, or certain moral excellences 
 they have acquired ; and oh ! how proud and boastful 
 they are of their imagined redemption, and how com- 
 placently they congratulate themselves on it ! The 
 application of the rigid test just mentioned would, how- 
 ever, dispel in a moment the charms of their fatal 
 delusion, and expose the hollowness of their pretensions. 
 Have they wholly given up their carnal life ? Do they 
 live in God ? If not, they are far from the kingdom 
 of heaven, whatever other merits they may happen to 
 possess. 
 
 But what is it to live in God ? To understand this 
 properly it is only necessary, I think, to apply to the soul 
 in its relations to God all our ideas of bodily Hfe in 
 
REGENERATING FAITH, 119 
 
 relation to the world. If it is true, as you all must 
 
 admit, that the body is governed and preserved mainly 
 
 by instincts, it is equally true that man's spiritual nature 
 
 is, in the same manner and to the same extent, governed 
 
 and preserved by spiritual instincts. As the body seeketh 
 
 food under the irrepressible instinct of hunger, so the 
 
 spiritual man hungereth after God and righteousness. 
 
 As the body ever seeks carnal pleasure with passionate 
 
 ardour, so the soul, when regenerated, enthusiastically 
 
 pursues spiritual joys ; and as the body rejoices in the 
 
 riches and felicities of the world, so doth the soul 
 
 " rejoice in the Lord always." Mark the analogy. In 
 
 both cases you see the free, natural, spontaneous, and 
 
 impulsive action of instincts and passions, whether as 
 
 regards the preservation of life, or the pursuit and 
 
 enjoyment of happiness : there is no cold calculation, 
 
 no inferential process of logic. In short, he indeed 
 
 lives carnally who lives in the world and loves it ; so he 
 
 is truly regenerate who lives in God and loves Him. 
 
 Spiritual life is as natural to the soul as carnal life is to 
 
 the body, and just as pleasant and attractive. Then are 
 
 men said to live regenerate in God when they think His 
 
 separation to be death, and, therefore, ever cling to Him 
 
 as their " meat and drink ;" when duty becomes desirable, 
 
 and human will harmonizes with God's ; when He becomes 
 
 unto them the light of their eyes and the joy of their 
 
 hearts ; and when, removed altogether from the world, 
 
120 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 they live day and night in holy and sweet divine com- 
 munion in the kingdom of heaven within. 
 
 How b eautiful and simple, and yet how significant, are 
 the words of Christ as to the nature of those who are 
 regenerated ! " Except ye be converted," says he, " and 
 become as little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom 
 of heaven." Elsewhere — " Suffer little children to cqme 
 unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God." Yes, 
 " little children," — that is the expression which of all 
 others serves most clearly and fully to represent the 
 character of the regenerate ; and it is no wonder that 
 Christ, with his marvellous insight into human nature, 
 should have employed it for the purpose. The ideas 
 which it suggests are precisely those which apply to the 
 soul in its regenerate state. Let us picture to ourselves 
 golden childhood. How tender and sweet are the smiles 
 of the little child ! What beauty unspeakable resides in 
 that benign form ! What heavenly purity sparkles in its 
 looks ! What guileless simplicity and lamb-like inno- 
 cence — ^what charming meekness and humility adorn all 
 its movements and thoughts ! Where can we find a 
 better combination of all that is graceful and sweet in 
 nature ? Indeed, there is nothing on earth so lovely, so 
 universally charming. If ever we can realize the mean- 
 ing of man being made " in the image of his Maker," it is 
 when we behold a dear little child. But what is the real 
 secret of the heavenly beauty and loveliness of little 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 121 
 
 children ? Evidently, their innocence. It is not virtue 
 in a state of trial and struggle — not that integrity which 
 is preserved in each instance by subduing temptations ; 
 but natural innocence, complete freedom from liability to 
 temptation, simplicity that cannot conceive sin, and is 
 beyond the possibility of defilement. Selfishness, avarice, 
 lust, pride, — these are unknown to them, and cannot 
 possibly taint their hearts. How they would sport with 
 riches as with toys ! How they would forgive and forget 
 the wrongs done to them ! How they would stand 
 unaffected and unsullied amid all that we call tempta- 
 tions ! You can never tempt a child ; sin has no power 
 over its innocent nature. And yet with all this, little 
 children are humble ; there is no vain-glory or arrogance. 
 They can see no merit in their goodness, it is so natural 
 to them. 
 
 Hence it is that Jesus Christ, whose mission was to 
 regenerate mankind, constantly urged upon his followers, 
 as an exemplar for imitation, the character of little 
 children, and emphatically said — " Except ye be con- 
 verted and become as little children, ye cannot enter the 
 kingdom of heaven." He never inculcated the ethics of 
 the world ; he preached the holiness of the kingdom of 
 heaven, the godliness of regenerate existence. He would 
 not allow the least compromise between God and mam- 
 mon, between religion and worldliness. He would have 
 men forsake all and follow him; sacrifice all temporal 
 
122 REGENERATING FAITH. 
 
 interests, and even life, if necessary, for the sake of 
 truth. He would exact the entire surrender of the soul 
 to God, in thought, word, and deed, and would not suffer 
 the least to be reserved for self. He would not leave 
 man to work out his own redemption according to the 
 dictates of his own judgment, his leisure and convenience, 
 his means and resources ; but would forcibly drag him by 
 his hair into the whirlpool of religious enthusiasm, and 
 there wash off the carnal nature, and baptize him into a 
 new creature. In his religion there is no looking back 
 after holding the plough ; no partial reformation, but a 
 putting on of divine life, a perpetual pressing forward 
 towards the perfection of the divine nature. He did not 
 seek to make men virtuous and honest in the world, but 
 to bring them out of the bondage of the world, and make 
 tliem live in the blessedness of holy spiritual life in the 
 kingdom of God. It was quite consistent with such 
 principles and aims that Jesus should positively enjoin 
 his followers to have the absolute innocence and sim- 
 plicity of childhood. He could not suggest a better, a 
 higher standard ; nor would anything short of it in his 
 disciples and followers satisfy him. And remember, 
 friends, the exhortation to follow this excellent standard 
 is of universal application. None of us can enter God's 
 kingdom unless we become innocent as little children. 
 Whatever value you may attach to your education and 
 civilization, your social and domestic virtues and piety. 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 123 
 
 for which the world so highly esteems you, you are 
 greatly mistaken if you think with such price you 
 can purchase everlasting life. You must bend your 
 proud head, and with humility and lowliness of spirit 
 enter the narrow and low gate of God's kingdom. 
 As the child trusts none but its parents, and cries unto 
 and relies upon them for nourishment, and strength, 
 and safety, so must you repose your absolute faith 
 in your Heavenly Father, and prayerfully depend upon 
 His grace for salvation. Brethren, if you want child- 
 like innocence and purity, have childlike faith. Vvlth- 
 out such faith — deep, absolute trust in Providence — 
 nothing can be accomplished, however powerful and 
 pious you may think yourselves to be. \\Tiereas if you 
 have faith, and nothing else, you will not only be saved 
 from your sins, but, like little children, you will ever 
 remain under the Father's protection — perfectly safe 
 against all possible dangers, and above all liabiHty to 
 sin. Like them, too, you will be above the fear of death, 
 and ever ready to meet it cheerfully. Faith enables men 
 not only to live well, but, what is more, to die well. 
 Death, which is so tormenting and dreadful to sinners, 
 and to worldly-minded men in spite of their boasted 
 honesty, is but a welcome guide to God's house to the 
 man of faith. Faith sweetens and gladdens the death- 
 bed, and ^\Teathes it with the evergreens of hope and 
 resignation. 
 
124 REGENERATIXG FAITH. 
 
 If you seek your true welfare here and hereafter, each 
 of you should have this sort of living and childlike faith 
 — faith that ever holds God vividly before the mind's 
 eye, and loves him as Father, and Friend, and Saviour 
 — and you will, however sinful and weak you may now 
 be, attain new life, and, like little children, enjoy peace 
 and happiness in His company and service. Ah ! then 
 will be realized what was foreshadowed in Christ's gospel 
 as the Kingdom of God. Individuals being reformed and 
 regenerated by faith, communities and nations will gather 
 round the common Father, clad in the purity and 
 righteousness of divine life, and constituting a vast spi- 
 ritual fellowship, — a kingdom whose subjects joyfully pay 
 homage and loyalty to the King of kings, and dwell 
 together in amity and peace under His benignant rule, — 
 a family of simple-hearted and dutiful children, full of 
 filial love towards God and brotherly affection towards 
 each other. National regeneration is a necessary con- 
 sequence of individual regeneration. When a number of 
 individuals are inspired by faith in the true God, com- 
 munity of faith and feeling draws them together into new 
 social life or regenerate fellowship ; and that divine govern- 
 ment which is first established in the individual heart 
 through faith and prayer, becomes collectively in the 
 nation what has been appropriately called the " kingdom 
 of heaven." Indeed, an entire community or nation 
 living regenerate in God would be " heaven upon earth ;" 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 125 
 
 it would verily be a divine society — a heavenly king- 
 dom. 
 
 You must not attach to regeneration, whether as re- 
 gards individuals or nations, any gross ideas of secular 
 happiness. Do not think of regenerating India or any 
 other country by adorning it with the blessings of out- 
 ward civilization, material prosperity, or mere intellectual 
 enlightenment. You may thereby make a nation healthy, 
 vigorous, rich, intelligent, and happy, but you cannot 
 regenerate it. Regeneration does not consist of, or 
 depend upon, external embellishments. It is not a 
 visible outward thing. The kingdom of God is not 
 " Lo ! here, lo ! there, but within." It is purely a spi- 
 ritual congregation of souls born anew in God. In esta- 
 blishing it, therefore, there is no need of any secular help, 
 no need of the power or learning or riches of the world. 
 The one thing needful is faith. Do but enkindle that in 
 the hearts of a dozen earnest men of the community, 
 and though they be poor and ragged, carpenters or fisher- 
 men, their influence will spread irresistibly on all around, 
 and thousands will catch the holy fire of their enthusiasm, 
 and be converted to new life. Thus from a small band 
 of devoted men of faith, the kingdom of God gradually 
 extends over a whole race, yea, over many nations and 
 generations, and the tide of reformation rolls on, though 
 there be neither poHtical influence, nor physical power, 
 nor earthly wisdom to further its movements. His- 
 
126 REGENERATING FAITH, 
 
 tory offers numerous testimonies to the truth of this, 
 and illustrates the mighty and pervading effects of 
 faith in bringing about national regeneration. If, then, 
 faith has wrought wonders elsewhere, and saved dying 
 and dead nations, why shall we doubt its efficacy 
 in regenerating this country? Why shall we seek to 
 reform India by giving her merely the material blessings 
 and the superficial refinement of modern civilization ? 
 Countrymen, if you are really in earnest about Indians 
 redemption, I exhort you to seek nothing but faith. Try^ 
 to have that, primarily for yourselves alone, and as a 
 natural and inevitable consequence, your faith will repro- 
 duce itself in thousands and millions of your countrymen. 
 And whether you seek faith for your own or your 
 country's benefit also, seek it with singleness of heart. 
 Let no unworthy desire of carnal happiness or worldly 
 advancement interfere with the earnest striving after 
 regeneration. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God," and 
 that alone, and all things needful shall be added unto 
 you. You have only to place your deepest faith in the 
 Lord, and He will do all that is good for you and your 
 country. Bestir yourselves, then, my brethren, and 
 strive earnestly, humbly, and prayerfully to attain that 
 faith which alone can give you true life, and remedy all 
 the manifold evils to which you are individually and 
 nationally subject. Freely and frankly confess your sins, 
 and neither hide them nor palliate them ; but with 
 
REGENERATING FAITH. 127 
 
 sincere contrition and remorse fall beneath the feet of 
 the great God, the Father and Saviour of us all. Put 
 your entire faith and trust in that ever-living and ever- 
 present Reality ; that Personal God of righteousness and 
 mercy who encompasseth you \ prayerfully depend upon 
 His redeeming grace, and with resignation say ever and 
 anon — Lord, Thy will be done. Such faith, accompanied 
 by repentance, resignation, and prayer, such childlike 
 faith, the Merciful Father will abundantly bless. His 
 holy spirit working through such faith will effect indi- 
 vidual and national regeneration, and establish the king- 
 dom of heaven in all hearts, in all families, and amongst 
 all the nations of the earth. 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 A Lecture delivered at the To'u;?i Hall, Calcutta, on the Occasion of 
 
 the Thirty -7iinth Anniversary of the Brahmo Somaj, 
 
 January 23, 1869. 
 
'' I ^HE love of freedom is the chief characteristic of 
 -*- the present age. This would be at once evident if 
 we consider the boastful spirit of self-gratulation in which 
 men talk of their living in the "nineteenth century." 
 Aspirations for freedom and aversion to all manner of 
 slavery so thoroughly pervade the spirit of the age, that 
 they find their expression in the very name of the present 
 century, and mark it as pre-eminently and emphatically 
 the age of freedom. This love of freedom manifests 
 itself in all departments of speculation and practice. In 
 politics, men aspire to that form of government in which 
 every section of the community may be fairly and fully 
 represented. In education, the cry all over the civiHzed 
 world is — enhghten the masses, and deliver them from 
 the bondage of ignorance. In society, there is an earnest 
 struggle to break through the fetters of tradition, custom, 
 and conventionalism. In religion also we see the effects 
 of a strong desire to enfranchise the spirit. It has un- 
 settled men's faith in old doctrines and dogmas, and 
 shaken their respect for authority. It has led men to 
 believe that nothing short of the most fearless and inde- 
 
132 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 pendent investigation will enable them to obtain truth. 
 The infallibility of established churches has been dis- 
 puted ; and amidst the confusion and perplexity of count- 
 less and multiplying sects, men are anxiously looking 
 forw^ard to, and speculating about, the probable Church 
 of the Future, wherein they hope to find truth and peace. 
 Dissatisfied with the present, many are seeking in the 
 future the realization of their ideas of the true church. 
 It is beginning to be felt that the past cannot be the 
 ruler of the present, and the theology of the present day 
 must give way to something higher and better, and more 
 in keeping with the advanced state of men's intelligence. 
 In solving the question of the future church, each person 
 is naturally guided by his own peculiar ideas, convictions, 
 and incHnations. Each rehgious sect concludes that its 
 dogmas and doctrines will prevail at last, and that all 
 other creeds Avill ultimately yield to its power. It is of 
 great importance to theology to harmonize, if possible, 
 such conflicting opinions and hopes, and determine, 
 honestly and dispassionately, where all religious move- 
 ments will most likely meet and unite in future ; so that 
 the hearts and minds of contending sects may be brought 
 together, and made to pursue the common path which 
 leads to the future church. The problem before us is 
 not only of vast theological importance, but is full of 
 religious interest. Our faith and our best spiritual in- 
 terests depend upon its issues. It must be admitted 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 133 
 
 that the future and the past both influence our life and 
 conduct. Hope is as mighty a motive of action as the 
 lessons suggested by experience. The prospects of what 
 is before us, and the convictions of what is behind, lead 
 us forward bv a double force. It is therefore necessary 
 for every believer to be assured that the church to which 
 he belongs has not only a glorious past, but also a 
 glorious future. Such assurance ^^ill intensify his faith, 
 and make him labour to abide by his church faithfully. 
 To know that my church will give way to another would 
 be to give up my church as false. The true church must 
 be the future church. Hence every sincere behever is 
 bound, for the sake of truth and salvation, to decide the 
 interesting question of the future church of the world. 
 
 The method I intend to adopt in the treatment of the 
 subject before us is to follow, as far as possible, the 
 lessons taught by histor)-, and to make facts of the past 
 the basis of my arguments. It is to be regretted that 
 speculations about the future church generally contain 
 more of poetr}- than philosophy, and show more of what 
 men \\ish than what facts wan-ant. It \^'ill not do to 
 soar into the heights of fancy, and behold, looming at a 
 distance, a church fashioned after our own hearts, grand 
 and magnificent, adorned ^^ith all the richest colours of 
 heaven which our own imagination could conjure up. 
 It will not do to allow the wish to be father to the 
 thought in this matter, and to argue such must be the 
 
134 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 nature of the future church because one wishes it. I 
 purpose to avoid all imaginary schemes and poetical 
 sentiments, and to accept for my guidance the light of 
 actual facts as recorded in history. Every sensible man 
 must have due respect for history, as it portrays the 
 actual manifestations of the human mind, and gives us 
 accurate data for all our reasonings about its future 
 action. It will doubtless be fooHsh to speculate about 
 the future without the aid of the past. For it is only 
 from an induction of facts which have actually happened 
 that we can divine with tolerable accuracy what may 
 happen in future. And this is all that I purpose to do 
 to-night. It is not for me to make a prophecy as to the 
 exact character of the church of the future ; I can only 
 speak of probabilities, and shall humbly endeavour to 
 give the general outlines of what appears most likely to 
 be the future church of the world, according to the light 
 of the past. 
 
 If we study the human mind we shall find that there 
 are two poles, if I may so express it, of the axis of 
 thought on which the mind revolves. There are two 
 opposite and antithetical ideas in the mind which always 
 struggle with each other in the history of individuals and 
 nations. When indifference or disgust drives the mind 
 from the one, it is generally impelled towards the other. 
 Men seldom pursue the golden mean of truth in which 
 the two are harmonized. The majority of men, thought- 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 135 
 
 ful as well as thoughtless, miss it, either through careless- 
 ness or bigotry, and are carried about by extremes and 
 one-sided views. Should any cherished idea prove after 
 a time disagreeable, erroneous, or mischievous, they not 
 only renounce it and hate it, but \\ith the zeal of rene- 
 gades rush impetuously to its opposite extreme. Some- 
 times it so happens that when the latter again in course 
 of time appears wTong, they run back \^ith reactionary 
 violence to their former position. As an illustration, let 
 me refer to the two opposite ideas of matter and spirit. 
 So long as men simply \.vj to perform their domestic and 
 social duties all goes on well : but when some are struck 
 with the evil effects of too much devotion to worldly 
 pursuits, they abandon materialism and worldliness, hate 
 riches and sensual pleasures, and fly into the regions of 
 idealism and mysticism. So also in the case of authority 
 and freedom ; if we put men's souls long in fetters, and 
 subject them to the control of books, priests, dogmas, 
 and other theological and religious restraints, no sooner 
 are their eyes opened to their degraded position than 
 they indignantly fling off their bonds, and often, alas 1 
 convert their new-bought freedom into license, and be- 
 come free-thinkers. Again, when scepticism is found to 
 be a great evil, men run back to superstition for safety. 
 Various instances of this kind abound in the histor}- of 
 mankind ; and they deserve our serious consideration. 
 Histor}- also shows us that no reHgious system re- 
 
i3() TIIK FUTURE CHURCIL 
 
 corded therein is wholly false. Millions of men worship 
 birds, beasts, aiul reptiles, but their creeds, if closely 
 analyzed, will show many redeeming features. However 
 superstitious their practices and objectionable their doc- 
 li ines, as there is no absolute truth, so there is no absolute 
 falsehood in them. As in men, so in systems of philo- 
 sophy and theology, we see nowhere unmixed purity or 
 impurity. We nuist not, therefore, pronounce indis- 
 criminate condemnation upon any creed, nor cherish 
 sectarian antipathy towards its followers. We should 
 distinguish what is true in it from its false admixtures, 
 and in a liberal spirit note the purer features common to 
 all creeds. To accept and honour truth, wherever it 
 may he found, must be held honourable to him who does 
 so ; while to abjure error is incumbent upon every man, 
 though it may be tied to his own faith with sacred and 
 endearing associations. 
 
 A careful study of history would also convince us that 
 though endless religious difterences prevail among men, 
 and utterly discordant forms of failh and practice dis- 
 tinguish sect from sect and ei)Och from epoch, yet there 
 are parallelisms equally remarkable. Similar events have 
 happened under similar circumstances. Certain pheno- 
 mena visible in one country at a particular time have 
 been found to reproduce themselves elsewhere in another 
 age. What we see prevailing in our country prevails in 
 some measure in other lands ; facts of remote antit^uity 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 137 
 
 have their parallel in the events of the present day. 
 Xay, we could sometimes trace such analogy in a whole 
 series of successive events. The reason of this evidently 
 is that it is the same human nature which works every- 
 where beneath the varied phenomena of religious history. 
 If the doctrines and institutions of different sects have 
 been found in some cases to resemble each other in their 
 essential features, it is only because they proceed from 
 common wants and necessities, and are manifestations of 
 the same religious instincts and sentiments. If we bear 
 this in mind, we shall be able to understand why certain 
 evils, idolatry and superstition for instance, have been 
 reproduced in different forms in the world's histor}-, from 
 time to time, in spite of attempts to prevent them ; we 
 shall likewise be prepared to see them reappear in future, 
 should the conditions recur which called them forth. 
 You cannot modify human nature. You cannot destroy 
 any of its impulses or instincts. The same nature which 
 our forefathers possessed dwells within us, and will work 
 within our descendants. Consequently all that sprang 
 naturally from the human mind in ancient rimes must 
 inevitably appear in future, whenever and wherever the 
 same exciting causes and the same necessities will occur. 
 All doctrines, modes of worship, and religious institutions 
 have their origin in the mind, and though we may sup- 
 press them a hundred times, they will again grow up, 
 unless their roots are destroyed. 
 
1 38 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 There are three elementary and fundamental ideas 
 which enter into all theological as well as philosophical 
 thought and speculation, namely, — mind, matter, and 
 God. These have given rise to different creeds, and 
 likewise to different philosophical schools, according to 
 the exclusive importance attached to one or other of 
 them. But we cannot eliminate any of these ideas from 
 theology. All that we need do is to harmonize them. 
 Too much devotion to material objects, and an abnormal 
 feeling of astonishment at their sublimity and power, have 
 led to idolatry. Thus have the sun and moon been wor- 
 shipped instead of the Being who created them. These 
 stupendous and glorious orbs extorted the homage of 
 simple untutored men who could not look to anything 
 beyond them, and therefore readily engaged their minds 
 and hearts in their worship. Similarly, other objects have 
 come to be adored on account of their special utility or 
 beauty; and thus various systems of idolatry and poly- 
 theism have resulted. So, on the other hand, by too much 
 concentration of the mind in self, and its exclusion from 
 the external world, men, here as well as in Europe, have 
 gone through various forms of religious idealism, and at 
 last soared into pantheism, merging their souls in the 
 Infinite Spirit. Others, again, struck with the extraordi- 
 nary wisdom and moral power and purity of particular 
 men, have deified them, and brought themselves into the 
 position of man-worshippers. Thus we see that the vast 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 139 
 
 systems of polytheism, pantheism, and prophetism, which 
 in varied forms prevail in the world, have arisen from the 
 mistaken identification of one or other of the two created 
 reahties — mind and matter — with the Creator. It must 
 not be supposed, however, that the best way to rectify 
 such mistakes, and prevent their recurrence in future, is 
 to destroy either of the realities which have been extolled 
 and deified. This is impossible in the nature of things. 
 We cannot suppress nature, we cannot ignore any of the 
 facts of our consciousness. The three primary facts I 
 have already mentioned must be recognised and upheld ; 
 it is only by adjusting their mutual relations that we can 
 hope to prevent and remedy errors. 
 
 True theology must not only admit the reality of the 
 material world, but recognise its important functions and 
 uses in the economy of man's redemption, while it must 
 condemn, in the most unqualified manner, anything ap- 
 proaching to the worship of matter. That the material 
 universe is a great religious teacher, that the Sublime and 
 Beautiful in nature exercise a vast moral influence on the 
 mind, few will deny. Are we not indebted to the objects 
 around us for evidences of Divine power, intelligence, 
 and mercy ? Do not the physical sciences give us better 
 and higher conceptions of God and His government of 
 the world than we could otherwise possess? And are 
 not our religious sentiments awakened and our hearts 
 ennobled by the sight and contemplation of the vast 
 
140 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 starry convex above, the stupendous mountain, the deep 
 unfathomable sea, the gentle stream, and the fragrant 
 rose ? Man has in all ages been naturally struck with 
 the beauties and wonders of the universe, and has spon- 
 taneously magnified Him who made them. Nay, many a 
 soul has been led away from scepticism, infidelity, and 
 immorality by the wholesome influence of natural objects. 
 The fullest latitude should therefore be given to the study 
 and contemplation of nature, and the general develop- 
 ment of our religious nature under its influence. Let 
 man, with sentiments of wonder and veneration, look up 
 to natural objects as God's own handiwork, and make 
 them minister to his spiritual wants. There is no fear of 
 any evil consequences so long as such veneration is not 
 abused. It is when men are carried away too far by 
 their love and devotion to the material world that they 
 superstitiously regard it not as God's creation, but as the 
 Creator Himself, and thus become idolaters or nature- 
 worshippers. Lost in amazement amidst ten thousand 
 objects manifesting supernatural power, wisdom, and love 
 on all sides, the soul offers homage to those objects them- 
 selves, and instead of worshipping God through nature, 
 worships nature as God. You thus see. Gentlemen, 
 wherein consists the right use of the physical universe, 
 and wherein its abuse. Recognise matter as God's holy 
 work, and let it help you to know Him and love Him, 
 but do not kneel down to worship it as God. 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 141 
 
 Similarly, the importance of the mind as another reve- 
 lation of God must be recognised, and its legitimate uses 
 in the matter of our salvation rightly determined. The 
 world within, like the world without, manifests the Great 
 Creator's power, wisdom, and mercy. The soul is God's 
 work just as much as the outer world, — nay, a far nobler 
 work it is, as revealing to us the higher attributes of the 
 Divinity and our true relations to Him. When from the 
 grosser objects of the senses we turn our attention within, 
 and view the phenomena of the mind, what do we see 
 there ? Law, harmony, and order, as perfect as what we 
 see in the external world. Nay, the soul's mechanism 
 and government appear far more wonderful and beautiful 
 than those of the material universe, and it holds the 
 Divinity nearer and clearer to us. In conscience and 
 the general economy of our moral nature we behold the 
 sovereignty of the Moral Governor ; in our will we see a 
 reflection of the Infinite Personality of the Creator ; and 
 in all the spiritual instincts and intuitions we trace the 
 outpourings of the Holy Fountain of Truth. But not 
 only does the mind as it is, but its active religious life 
 also shows the workings of God. In our prayers and in 
 our communion with Him we feel His direct inspiration 
 breathing into us purity, strength, wisdom, and life. In 
 short, in the soul we recognise something made " in 
 the image of its Maker," and in a condition of piety 
 holding conscious communion with Him. Hence it has 
 
14-2 
 
 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 always excited the wonder and riveted the pecuhar 
 interest of all religious inquirers. Often do we go into 
 the vast cathedral of nature, and there mingle our feeble 
 voice of thanksgiving and praise mth the ever-rising 
 chorus of creation unto the Creator's glory. But when 
 worldliness renders our hearts impervious to the influence 
 of nature, and with open eyes we fail to find God in 
 unhallowed matter, we then, with closed eyes, enter the 
 still sanctuary of the inner world, and there worship and 
 glorify God through the soul. Respect for the spirit is 
 thus quite natural and indispensable. But this also is 
 liable to be abused ; and history shows how greatly it 
 has been abused. By indulging in too much devotion to 
 the spirit, men have eventually so far exaggerated its 
 importance as to identify it with the Deity. Instead of 
 worshipping God through the soul, they have come to 
 look upon the soul itself as God, and confound the 
 worshipper and the object of worship in a pantheistic 
 unity. We should guard ourselves against this evil 
 extreme. While we respect the soul within us as God's 
 work, we must not exalt it so far as to identify the 
 created spirit with the Creator, and say, in the blas- 
 phemous language of proud pantheism, '' I am God." 
 
 Besides the general respect due to every mind, pecuhar 
 respect is due to superior minds. Personal character 
 deserves, and has always challenged, the respect of men. 
 The man who possesses unblemished character, and is a 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 143 
 
 faithful child and servant of God, draws the willing 
 homage of all who are religiously disposed, and thousands, 
 nay, millions, naturally look up to him as a teacher, and 
 follow him as an example. He is even honoured in 
 distant lands and distant ages, on account of his moral 
 superiority ; and the influence of his example is sought 
 with avidity, generation after generation, as a mighty 
 help to spiritual improvement. Such influence few can 
 resist ; its benefits none can deny. Have not many 
 degraded sinners been reclaimed, the weak strengthened, 
 the depressed cheered, and confirmed scoffers converted 
 into believers under such wholesome influence? How 
 many sinners and sceptics, whom neither the revelations 
 of nature nor of their o^^TL minds could reclaim, have at 
 last been reformed by the irresistible but secret power of 
 living examples ? Hence far greater honour has been 
 accorded to God's more devoted ser\'ants — good men, 
 reformers, and prophets — than to dead matter or ordinary- 
 humanity. But so far has this homage to moral good- 
 ness and greatness been abused as to sink into man- 
 worship. Thus many a prophet has been deified, and, 
 instead of being honoured as a teacher, has been wor- 
 shipped as God in human form. 
 
 The future church, if it be guided by the experiences 
 of the past, will no doubt recognise the importance of 
 mind and matter as God's works, and treat them with 
 due respect, while it will steer clear of the shoals on 
 
144 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 which extreme devotion to either has wrecked many 
 an unwary traveller to eternity. We cannot suppose 
 that either of these facts will be disregarded, on the 
 ground of its having proved the source of great evils. 
 Because proud self-exaltation has led to pantheism and 
 the assumption of Divinity by man, shall we therefore 
 throw the soul into the background, and strive to be 
 religious without its aid ? Because material objects have 
 been worshipped, are we to exclude them from our 
 theology, and deny ourselves their wholesome teachings 
 and influence ? Are we to become ungrateful and dis- 
 loyal to those good and great men whose precepts and 
 examples are so conducive to our improvement, because 
 some men in bygone ages worshipped them as God? 
 No, this cannot be. Human nature will not submit to 
 the exclusion of any of the facts of consciousness, or the 
 wresting away of any of the means proved by experience 
 and appointed by God to minister to our spiritual wants. 
 If, then, the recognition of matter and mind and great- 
 ness of character is inevitable, how will these be adjusted 
 in the future church, so as to prevent the evils of nature- 
 worship, self-worship, and hero-worship, to which they 
 have respectively given rise ? How will these three be 
 respected, and yet the unity of God strictly and uncom- 
 promisingly maintained ? This is the great question to 
 be solved by the future church. In its solution we shall 
 find an effective safeguard against the three forms of 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 145 
 
 false worship and the positive estabUshment of unitarian 
 worship ; — in other words, the reaUzation of the grand 
 doctrine of Unity in Trinity. Let us see how this may 
 be done. He who govemeth the universe, and holdeth 
 it in the hollow of His hands, is the One Supreme 
 Creature, eternal and infinite — '* One only without a 
 second." All else is created, and lives in Him. How- 
 ever pure and good, however grand and mighty things 
 may be, they are still created, and lie at infinite distance 
 from the Creator. They are finite, and however excel- 
 lent therefore they may be, they cannot be identified with 
 the Infinite. The future church will uphold the absolute 
 infinity and unity of the Divine Creator, and will sufter 
 no created thing or being to usurp His sovereignty. It 
 will worship Him alone, and thoroughly set its face 
 against every form of creature-worship. But while ad- 
 mitting the unity of the Divinity, the future church will 
 recognise a trinity of Divine manifestations. God mani- 
 fests Himself to us through external nature, through the 
 inner spirit, and through moral greatness impersonated 
 in man. Glorious are the sun and the moon, and all 
 that we admire in nature, but they reveal the Creator's 
 glory, and are great only as works of His hand. The 
 soul within us is a wondrous work, and appears more so 
 when quickened and purified by His inspiration ; but it 
 is great only as manifesting the direct workings of His 
 holy spirit. So the good and great man only reveals 
 
 L 
 
146 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 that righteousness in imperfect and human form which 
 exists absolutely in God. He may be very pious, but he 
 is to be honoured only as the son of God. The son 
 may be great, but can never be equal to the Father. 
 The greatest of God's sons would say — the Father is 
 greater than I. Thus the One and Infinite God mani- 
 fests Himself to us through a trinity of His handiworks. 
 Thus we see there is One God, but there are three 
 modes of revelation. Thus is all false worship — that of 
 nature, self, and greatness — rendered impossible. Behold 
 in the church of the future the harmony of unity and 
 trinity ! Behold the central unity of the Godhead, 
 absolute and indivisible, and a trinity of manifestations 
 around ! In this harmony, I believe, will all the struggles 
 and wranglings between contending systems of worship 
 ultimately end. Thus shall all churches blend together 
 in the church of the One True God, and all the false 
 deities they now worship shall be reduced to a beautiful 
 created trinity subordinate to the Highest Divine unity 
 of the Creator. Idolatry in its ten thousand forms of 
 nature-worship, pantheism with its arrogant spirit of self- 
 adoration, and the servile worship of man by man will be 
 denounced and chased away, not only as errors, but as 
 high treason against the supremacy of the Most High, as 
 the iniquitous transfer to created things of that tribute of 
 adoration which is due to the Creator alone. As regards 
 these three evils the future church will therefore be un- 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 147 
 
 sparingly destructive ; it will pull down with iconoclastic 
 fury all temples where any such false worship prevails. 
 But from the ruins of such temples it will rescue and 
 preserve all that is good therein. The constitution of 
 the future church will be of a representative character ; it 
 will faithfully represent and satisfy those real wants and 
 necessities of nature which have led to different systems 
 of false worship, and which have been repeatedly proved 
 in history. The idolater, the pantheist, and the prophet- 
 worshipper will there find what they actually want ; their 
 delusions, errors, and sins will certainly be destroyed, but 
 the genuine aspirations of their nature, all their normal 
 cravings for spiritual aid, will be duly satisfied. Thus, in- 
 stead of a hundred hostile churches, there shall be upreared, 
 in the fulness of time, one vast cathedral, where all man- 
 kind shall worship with one heart the Supreme Creator. 
 
 We have seen how the multiplicity of prevalent systems 
 of worship will be harmonized in the future church. Let 
 me now proceed to evolve the harmony of doctrines. 
 When that immortal son of God, Jesus, was asked by one 
 of his disciples to explain the Divine commandments, he 
 said — " Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all 
 thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength ; " 
 and " Love thy neighbour as thyself." " This," he added, 
 " is the whole law and prophets." Never has the essence 
 of true religion been so simply and exhaustively ex- 
 pounded. Verily in these two precepts is to be found 
 
148 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 the substance of all the laws and dispensations of God 
 designed to guide us. They constitute the primary code 
 of Divine jurisprudence ; the fundamental principles of 
 ethics and religion. Blessed is he who fulfils these pre- 
 cepts, for he thereby wholly conforms to the will of God. 
 If a man can love God with his whole heart, and his 
 neighbour as himself, he will have discharged all duties 
 incumbent on him. Love God "with all thy heart"— 
 that is, with all the warmth and tenderness of feelings ; 
 "with all thy mind" — that is, with all the light of wis- 
 dom and knowledge ; " with all thy soul " — that is, with 
 all thy devotional sentiments and aspirations ; " and 
 with all thy strength " — that is, with all thy energy and 
 practical earnestness. We must, in other words, love 
 God so thoroughly that our feelings, our reason, our faith, 
 and our will may be entirely surrendered to Him, and be 
 in unison with His holy nature. It is not abnormal sen- 
 timentalism or mystic attachment which is here meant, 
 but the loving union of man's entire being with the Divine 
 nature. In all the departments of life, intellectual, 
 emotional, spiritual, and practical, — in thoughts and 
 feelings, words and deeds, we must be in constant com- 
 munion with Him. Such union is the highest aim of our 
 life, the highest consummation of piety and righteousness. 
 In such an attitude of loving union the soul not only 
 discharges all its duties faithfully towards God as the 
 Father and Master, but rejoices in such service; purity 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 149 
 
 then becomes its natural condition, and nothing pleases it 
 so much as God and His holy company. The second 
 doctrine is the love of man ; it follows naturally from 
 the first. Whoso loves God with his whole heart as 
 the Father, must love every man as his brother. If 
 all mankind love their common Father, harmony and 
 spiritual fellowship will for ever prevail among them, and 
 there will be no discord under the cloak of religion. All 
 the rancour, bitterness, and hatred which have divided 
 the religious world, and made the various churches 
 and sects violently antagonistic to each other, will be 
 swept away. Errors and prejudices will excite pity, and 
 benevolent anxiety to rectify them, but not sectarian 
 antipathy. All sects will then look upon each other as 
 brethren, and humbly unite to learn truth and seek 
 salvation at the feet of their common Father ; and all 
 unimportant differences of opinion will be swallowed up 
 in the community of feelings and interests. The love of 
 man, besides uniting men religiously, tends also to adjust 
 the moral, political, social, and domestic relations of 
 society, and thus promotes all the virtues and checks all 
 the vices incident to our dealings with each other. "WTien 
 we understand our true relations to God and to each 
 other, when our love towards our Father makes us love 
 every man as brother, we instinctively try to serve each 
 other as we serve ourselves. As true filial love to God 
 means the fulfilment of our duties to Him, so true 
 
i;o 
 
 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 brotherly love comprises the whole round of our duties 
 to each other. As children of the same Father, as 
 members of the same family, we must feel that our best 
 interests are identical ; and casting away selfishness and 
 misanthropism, we readily offer our services for mutual 
 welfare and happiness. Brotherly love calls forth all the 
 benevolent feelings of our nature — patriotism, philan- 
 thropy, charity, compassion, and forgiveness, and all the 
 domestic affections. It encourages all undertakings and 
 movements calculated to promote the material, intel- 
 lectual, social, and moral improvement of mankind. It 
 curbs all malevolent propensities which tend to separate 
 man from man, and counteracts all attempts to injure the 
 temporal and spiritual interests of society. In a state of 
 brotherhood all oppression and tyranny, pride and envy, 
 ingratitude and injustice, dishonesty and deceit, must 
 inevitably disappear. Such brotherhood among all man- 
 kind will be realized in the church of the future. Its 
 cardinal doctrines will be " the Fatherhood of God and 
 the brotherhood of man." It will adopt this simple creed 
 as embracing the whole of morality and religion — the 
 whole "law and prophets;" and will not seek salvation 
 in tedious articles of faith and elaborate dogmas. This 
 simple creed of the love of God and the love of man will 
 effectually knit together the diverse races and nations of 
 the world as members of the true church of the future, 
 and will also effect the regeneration of their souls by 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 151 
 
 delivering them from all manner of sin against God and 
 man. Thus the wise and illiterate, the rich and poor, 
 the strong and weak, shall dwell together in the holy- 
 tabernacle of God, rendering mutual services, under the 
 inviolable covenant of brotherhood, for each other's 
 temporal and spiritual welfare, and sharing with each 
 other the blessings vouchsafed by their common Father. 
 Thus shall Love purify the soul, and realize " peace on 
 earth and good-will among men." 
 
 What shall be the gospel of the future church ? I 
 answer, — the gospel of God's infinite mercy. WTiat else 
 do we sinners need for our salvation, but to be assured 
 of His saving mercy ? Talk you of a God of absolute 
 holiness and purity ? The more I think of such a 
 Being, the more I shrink and recoil from His awful 
 majesty. He is wholly inaccessible and unapproachable. 
 I cannot, as a sinner, venture to stand in His presence. 
 I cannot bear the sight or the thought of His holiness. 
 My conscious sin places me at infinite distance from 
 Him ; and I feel myself altogether cast down, there 
 being no hope of reconciliation with Him. His in- 
 finite holiness seems to have closed for ever the doors 
 of salvation against rebellious and wicked men. But 
 behold, there is mercy in the holy God ! The God 
 of Righteousness is a kind Father. O how refresh- 
 ing and encouraging is this thought to us ! What 
 a sweet gospel of consolation and joy it is to fallen 
 
.152 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 sinners ! It infuses new life into our dead hearts. 
 The glad sound of the Father's love brings joy and 
 hope and enthusiasm to our dejected hearts, and we rise 
 up, in spite of our sins, to magnify and worship Him, 
 and to seek salvation at His feet. Though we are guilty 
 of repeated violations of His will, though ^vickedness of 
 the foulest type has defiled our body and soul, though 
 we are painfully conscious of having defiantly rebelled 
 against His authority, and returned ingratitude for His 
 manifold gifts, we feel encouraged and privileged by the 
 Gospel of His mercy to draw near to His footstool, and 
 pray for His blessings. Though unable to bear the 
 dazzling sun-like effulgence of God's holiness, we feel 
 invited to approach the serene and sweet moon-like light 
 of His mercy. Remember that God's mercy towards us 
 is boundless, just as His holiness is infinite. None can 
 measure the height and depth, the length and breadth, of 
 such mercy. None can comprehend the magnitude of 
 such love. He not only saves sinners, but seeks and 
 saves them. His love is active, and shows marvellous 
 anxiety, watchfulness, forbearance, and condescension in 
 the salvation of sinners. The beautiful Parable of the 
 Prodigal Son — unsurpassed in the literature of Divine 
 grace — best represents the riches of that love. The son 
 has gone astray, viciously abused the gifts of the father, 
 and has ultimately become a poor penniless beggar. He 
 repents and goes back, and lo ! the father has already 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 153 
 
 come out to welcome the son; he affectionately em- 
 braces him, rejoices in having found the lost child, and 
 showers his choicest blessings and special gifts on him 
 whose separation he so keenly felt, whose return he so 
 anxiously awaited. So the Heavenly Father treats us, 
 His erring and sinful children. We forsake and forget 
 Him, but He never forsakes or forgets us. Plenteous in 
 loving-kindness, and anxious to save us. He is ever ready 
 to receive us back and to be reconciled to us, provided 
 we repent. The most degraded sinner will find the doors 
 of the Father's house open to receive his penitent spirit. 
 Society may have excommunicated him, and deserted 
 him as a loathsome foul thing, whose very presence is 
 contamination ; but the Lord is so merciful that He con- 
 descendeth to do what men consider mean and con- 
 temptible, and welcometh'the meanest and most abhorred 
 sinner. He rejoices in saving sinners. Nay, He goeth 
 about in quest of the lost child. Deserted and hated by 
 all, wretched and penniless, he may be starving and 
 crying in some lonely wilderness. — none takes care of 
 him, none inquires after him, none seeks his reformation ; 
 but the Merciful Father feels deeply for that lost child, 
 and hastens to relieve his sufferings. Yes, our Father, 
 with true fatherly love and kindness, is always moving 
 about among us, seeking sinners in order to save them. 
 Daily he visits us with the blessings of salvation in His 
 hands, and tenderly asks us to receive the same. 
 
154 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 Wickedly do we spurn such offers day after day; yet 
 His mercy fails not. Again and again He tries in all 
 possible ways to bring back the lost sheep into the fold. 
 However rebellious and ungrateful we may be, and 
 however persistent and obstinate in our iniquities, the 
 Lord continues to dispense unto us the riches of His 
 mercy with marvellous patience and long-suffering, and 
 will do so till our rebellious spirit is wholly subdued. 
 We may long resist His mercy, but it will triumph at 
 last, and vanquish the most confirmed sinner. Such 
 mercy is a tremendous power. It alone conquers the 
 evil in our hearts. It alone can redeem the wicked 
 world from the bondage of iniquity. To be assured of 
 such love is all that we sinners need. 
 
 This is the true, the only true gospel of salvation — the 
 Parable of the Prodigal Son. 'You may give me endless 
 doctrines and formularies and precepts, you may help 
 me with books and priests, you may put me in the 
 company of the best of men ; I shall accept these with 
 reverence, but they cannot convert my soul. They may, 
 no doubt, do much good by removing doubts or by curb- 
 ing some evil inclinations and propensities, or they may 
 create a momentary spiritual excitement, and quicken 
 the heart for a time into purity, joy, and earnestness ; 
 but they cannot deUver me from sin. Nay, they have 
 scarcely any worth when we are in a state of complete 
 depression and prostration, groaning under the crushing 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 155 
 
 weight of accumulated iniquities, when we see nothing 
 but darkness within and without, and retain vitality just 
 sufficient to feel our utter helplessness and hopelessness, 
 and when violent temptations daily prey upon our linger- 
 ing vitality. Of what use are dogmas and external ad- 
 vantages to me when I am almost dead in sin, and have 
 not the power to avail myself of such helps ? Of what 
 use are they when oft-repeated sin has made me despair 
 of my salvation ? Those who profess the most correct 
 doctrines of God and immortality, and possess a vast 
 machinery of external aids to faith, must confess that 
 these cannot convert their souls ; that however useful 
 books and men may sometimes be, there is no salvation 
 in them. We are thus led to look to God's mercy alone 
 for our deliverance, and to acknowledge there is no hope 
 for the sinner unless he, puts his faith in the gospel of 
 Divine mercy. Such gospel rouses us at once from our 
 death-like prostration, and forms a tower of strength in 
 the midst of all our difficulties. It makes the poor rich, 
 the weak strong, and the dead alive. It is an inexhaust- 
 ible fountain of life, strength, joy, hope, and purity ; 
 and whoso has recourse to it, however sinful he may 
 have been, finds his soul refreshed Avith a shower of 
 spiritual blessings. Let temptations thickly gather around 
 us, let the deepest gloom of despair overspread the 
 horizon, could we only cHng to the gospel of God's 
 mercy, we shall be renovated and saved, for then we 
 
156 THE FUTURE CHURCH, 
 
 shall not have to depend upon our own resources, which 
 are nothing, but God will work the miracle of the sin- 
 ner's redemption with the almighty and all-conquering 
 power of His mercy. He will vanquish our rebellious 
 spirit, save us from temptations, and will make us humble 
 and prayerful, pious and pure, in spite of ourselves. 
 Hence I believe that the future church will not seek 
 salvation in books or men, in ceremonies or articles of 
 faith ; but it will call upon individuals and nations to put 
 their faith in the only true gospel of salvation— God's 
 infinite and all-conquering mercy. 
 
 I have briefly described the general features of the 
 church of the future,— its worship, creed, and gospel. 
 Before I conclude I must say a few words with special 
 reference to this country. There are some among us 
 who denounce Mahomedanism as wholly false, while 
 others contend that Hinduism is altogether false. Such 
 opinions are far from being correct ; they only indicate 
 the spirit of sectarian antipathy. Do you think that 
 millions of men would to this day attach themselves so 
 devotedly to these systems of faith unless there was 
 something really valuable and true in them ? This can- 
 not be. There is, no doubt, in each of these creeds, 
 much to excite ridicule, and perhaps indignation— a 
 large amount of superstition, prejudice, and even cor- 
 ruption. But I must emphatically say it is wrong 'to 
 set down Hinduism or Mahomedanism as nothing but 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 157 
 
 a mass of lies and abominations, and worthy of being 
 trampled under foot. Proscribe and eliminate all that 
 is false therein : there remains a residue of truth and 
 purity which you are bound to honour. You will find 
 certain central truths in these systems, though sur- 
 rounded by errors, which consritute their vitality, and 
 which have preserved them for centuries in spite 
 of opposition, and in which hundreds of good men 
 have always found the bread of life. It is these which 
 form even now the mighty pillars of Hinduism and Ma- 
 homedanism, and challenge universal admiration and 
 respect. It is idle to suppose that such gigantic sys- 
 tems of faith will be swept away by the fervour of youthful 
 excitement, or the violent fulminations of sectarian bigotr}^ 
 so long as there is real power in them. All the onslaughts 
 which are being levelled against them in this age of free 
 inquiry and bold criticism will tend, not to destroy them, 
 but to purify them and develop their true principles. 
 The signs of the times already indicate this process of 
 purification and development ; and I believe this process 
 will gradually bring Hinduism and Mahomedanism, 
 hitherto so hostile to each other, into closer union, till 
 the two ultimately harmonize to form the future church 
 of India. 
 
 The Hindu's norion of God is sublime. In the earHest 
 Hindu scriptures God is represented as the Infinite Spirit 
 dwelling in His own glory, and pervading all space, full 
 
158 THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 of peace and joy. On the other hand, the Mahomedans 
 describe their God as infinite in power, governing the 
 universe with supreme authority as the Lord of all. 
 Hence the principal feature of the religion of the Hindu 
 is quiet contemplation, while that of the religion of the 
 Mahomedan is constant excitement and active service. 
 The one lives in a state of quiet communion with his 
 God of peace ; the other lives as a soldier, ever serving 
 the Almighty Ruler and crusading against evil. These 
 are the primary and essential elements of the two creeds, 
 and if blended together, would form a beautiful picture 
 of true theology, which will be realized in the future 
 church of this country. As the two creeds undergo 
 development, their errors and differences will disappear, 
 and they will harmoniously coalesce in their fundamental 
 and vital principles. The future creed of India will be a 
 composite faith, resulting from the union of the true and 
 divine elements of Hinduism and Mahomedanism, and 
 showing the profound devotion of the one and the heroic 
 enthusiasm of the other. The future sons and daughters 
 of this vast country will thus inherit precious legacies 
 from Hinduism and Mahomedanism, and while enjoying 
 the blessings of highest and sweetest communion with 
 the God of love, will serve Him in the battle-field of life 
 with fidelity to truth and unyielding opposition to un- 
 truth and sin. As regards Christianity and its relation 
 to the future church of India, I have no doubt in my 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. 159 
 
 mind that it will exercise great influence on the growth 
 and formation of that church. The spirit of Christianity 
 has already pervaded the whole atmosphere of Indian 
 society, and we breathe, think, feel, and move in a Chris- 
 tian atmosphere. Native society is being roused, en- 
 lightened, and reformed under the influence of Christian 
 education. If it is true that the future of a nation is 
 determined by all the circumstances and agencies which 
 to-day influence its nascent growth, surely the future 
 church of this country will be the result of the purer 
 elements of the leading creeds of the day, harmonized, 
 developed, and shaped under the influence of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 But the future church of India must be thoroughly 
 national ; it must be an essentially Indian Church. The 
 future religion of the world I have described will be the 
 common religion of all nations, but in each nation it will 
 have an indigenous growth, and assume a distinctive and 
 peculiar character. All mankind will unite in a universal 
 church ; at the same time, it will be adapted to the peculiar 
 circumstances of each nation, and assume a national form. 
 No country will borrow or mechanically imitate the reli- 
 gion of another country ; but from the depths of the life 
 of each nation its future church will naturally grow up. 
 And shall not India have its own national church ? Dr. 
 Norman Macleod, in expounding, last year, in this 
 very hall, his ideas of the future church of this country, 
 
i6o THE FUTURE CHURCH. 
 
 said emphatically that it would be a purely Indian church, 
 and not a reproduction of any of the estabHshed churches 
 of the West. Though I differ from that learned and 
 liberal-minded gentleman in regard to the doctrines and 
 tenets of that church as set forth by him, I fully agree 
 with him that that church must have a strictly national 
 growth and a national organization. Neither will Ger- 
 many adopt the religious life of China, nor will India 
 accept blindly that of England or of any other European 
 country. India has religious traditions and associations, 
 tastes and customs, peculiarly sacred and dear to her, 
 just as every other country has ; and it is idle to expect 
 that she will forego these ; nay, she cannot do so, as they 
 are interwoven with her very life. In common with all 
 other nations and communities, we shall embrace the 
 Theistic worship, creed, and gospel of the future church, 
 — we shall acknowledge and adore the Holy One, accept 
 the love and service of God and man as our creed, and 
 put our firm faith in God's almighty grace as the only 
 means of our redemption. But we shall do all this in a 
 strictly national and Indian style. We shall see that the 
 future church is not thrust upon us, but that we inde- 
 pendently and naturally grow into it; that it does not 
 come to us as a foreign plant, but that it strikes its roots 
 deep in the national heart of India, draws its sap from 
 our national resources, and develops itself with all the 
 freshness and vigour of indigenous growth. One religion 
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH. i6i 
 
 shall be acknowledged by all men, One God shall be 
 worshipped throughout the length and breadth of the 
 world ; the same spirit of faith and love shall pervade all 
 hearts; all nations shall dwell together in the Father's 
 house, — yet each shall have its own peculiar and free 
 mode of action. There shall, in short, be unity of spirit, 
 but diversity of forms ; one body, but different limbs ; 
 one vast community, with members labouring, in different 
 ways and according to their respective resources and 
 peculiar tastes, to advance their common cause. Thus 
 India shall sing the glory of the Supreme Lord with 
 Indian voice and with Indian accompaniments, and so 
 shall England and America, and the various races and 
 tribes and nations of the world, with their own peculiar 
 voice and music, sing His glory ; but all their different 
 voices and peculiar modes of chanting shall commingle 
 in one sweet and swelling chorus, — one universal anthem 
 proclaiming in solemn and stirring notes, in the world 
 below and the heavens above, " the Fatherhood of God 
 and the brotherhood of man !" May the Merciful Lord 
 hasten the advent of the true church, and establish peace 
 and harmony among His children ! And as His name 
 has been solemnly chanted to-night in this splendid hall, 
 by an immense concourse of worshippers of various races 
 and tribes, so may all His children assemble in His holy 
 mansions, and blending their million voices in one grand 
 chorus, glorify Hirn time without end ! 
 
 M 
 
Setontr Seticis* 
 
 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE OF 
 MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 Two Lectures delivered to the Students at the Calcutta B rah mo 
 School, May 5 and 12, 1867. 
 
I 
 
 I. 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 T affords me sincere gratification to perform the cere- 
 mony of re-opening the Calcutta Brahmo School, 
 not only because, on personal grounds, it is full of 
 pleasant associations, but because, on public grounds, I 
 consider such an institution to be of vast importance to 
 the spiritual welfare of the country and to the progress 
 of the Brahmo Somaj. Most of you are aware, I believe, 
 that nearly eight years ago, under the guidance and with 
 the co-operation of my venerable coadjutor * here present, 
 we founded a Sunday School in this city, in connection 
 \nth the Calcutta Brahmo Somaj. Our object was to 
 bring together a number of young men, and give them a 
 regular course of instructions in Brahmic Theology and 
 Ethics. Week after week I and my coadjutor used to 
 deliver lectures on these subjects, which, I must say, 
 were duly appreciated by our auditors, and conduced to 
 their mental and moral improvement. We had ever}- 
 
 * Debendro Nath Tagore, the President of the Calcutta Brahmo 
 Somaj. — Ed. 
 
1 66 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 reason to congratulate ourselves on the fruits of our 
 humble labours, which even exceeded our most sanguine 
 expectations. Of about fifty regular students more than 
 twenty creditably passed the periodical examinations, 
 obtained testimonials of proficiency, and went forth into 
 the world with sound ideas of religion and morality, lofty 
 aspirations, and an improved tone of thought and cha- 
 racter, of which they have since given abundant proofs 
 in their daily intercourses with the world. Through 
 them and others who used to attend the School only 
 now and then, a salutary influence was also produced on 
 the Brahmo community in general. Some of the ex- 
 students have also become missionaries of our holy 
 faith, and are engaged in communicating to others those 
 truths in which they had been originally indoctrinated in 
 the School, and which they subsequently developed by 
 their own mature reflection and practical experience. I 
 am glad to see some of them before me. It cannot be 
 denied, therefore, that the School was a success. How- 
 ever, it was closed after three years, as the course of 
 instructions was finished, and the immediate object of 
 the School seemed to have been accomplished in regard 
 to the existing pupils. The idea of opening a new class 
 of pupils at the end of the final year, and repeating our 
 instructions, with a view to train up a fresh batch of 
 y,oung men, did not occur to us at the time. Several 
 important events, however, have since transpired, which 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 167 
 
 have impressed us with the necessity of reviving this 
 useful institution. You are no doubt aware of the 
 immense progress made by the Brahmo Somaj of late in 
 Bengal as well as in the North-western Provinces, the 
 Punjab and Madras. The number of Theists and 
 Theistic Somaj es has steadily increased, and a great 
 religious agitation is strikingly manifest on all sides, 
 which is destined to settle, in the fulness of time, into a 
 mighty Theistic organization. This progress is owing 
 partly to English education, and partly to the numerous 
 tracts, books, and periodicals published by the metropo- 
 litan and provincial Brahmo Somaj es, and to the exer- 
 tions of our itinerant missionaries, who have been 
 preaching the doctrines of our faith for the last four 
 years in different parts of the country. In the midst of 
 these cheering indications of progress, Calcutta appeared 
 of late to be in a comparatively neglected condition. 
 While our preachers were propagating Brahma Dharma * 
 far and wade in the mofussilf and in other and remote 
 provinces, our mission was all but closed in the metro- 
 polis — the primitive seat of Brahmic movement. This 
 was indeed painful to contemplate ; the more so as 
 Calcutta, being the centre of native improvement, should 
 occupy a permanent and prominent place in our mission 
 
 * Brahma Dhafma signifies the Religion of the One Time God. — 
 Ed. 
 
 t ^lofussil, i.e. the extra-metropolitan districts. — Ed. 
 
1 68 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 field, so that we may draw constant accessions from the 
 ranks of the alumni of our schools and colleges, and 
 render education what it ought to be, a stepping-stone 
 to religious improvement. Is it not a matter of grave 
 regret that there is no public institution in this city for 
 disseminating the truths of Brahma Dharma among our 
 educated young men? I admit isolated attempts are 
 now and then made in this direction by private indivi- 
 duals according to leisure, inclination, and convenience, 
 either in the shape of imparting instructions or merely 
 lending books to such as come forward as inquirers ; but 
 there is no institution where young men may resort and 
 receive systematic religious and moral training. Such a 
 want has been long felt ; in fact, ever since the Brahmo 
 School was abolished. But never was it so forcibly felt 
 as at present, when the tendencies of our leading educa- 
 tional institutions have become alamiingly prejudicial to 
 the spiritual interests of the rising generation of our 
 countrymen. 
 
 I am fully alive to the importance and expediency of 
 the policy of religious neutrality on which Government 
 education is based. For wise and benevolent purposes 
 that pohcy was laid down, and it is necessary that it 
 should be strictly adhered to in all schools and colleges 
 under direct governmental management. ^ It is not only 
 sound and unimpeachable on political grounds, but also 
 acceptable to all religious denominations, being based on 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 169 
 
 the principle of toleration. Secular education in itself is 
 not defective or injurious ; on the contrary, it is highly 
 useful so far as it goes, as it affords us a fund of valuable 
 truths for our mental improvement and our guidance in 
 this world. We may disapprove of it on the score of its 
 incompleteness — for it cultivates only the intellectual 
 powers, and neglects our religious interests, — and who 
 would not like to see education tending to the develop- 
 ment of the whole being ? But still it must be confessed 
 — and I would bear testimony from my o^^TL experience — 
 that liberal education, though strictly secular, if kept 
 within legitimate bounds, must be beneficial, especially 
 when it comprises the m.ental and moral sciences. 
 Although, however, I am ready to support the principle 
 of religious neutrality in Government schools, I must 
 declare my vigorous protest against undue advantage 
 being taken of it by the tutors. If it is impolitic and 
 wrong to teach any particular creed in Government 
 schools, it is morally reprehensible to rush to the other 
 extreme, and, by teaching materialism and scepticism, sap 
 the very foundations of morality and rehgion. All that 
 the rule of neutrality requires of teachers is that they 
 should simply abstain from sectarian teaching; but it 
 gives them neither privilege nor power to wantonly and 
 recklessly destroy the ver}^ religious instincts and senti- 
 ments of their pupils by false philosophy and false logic. 
 Not to teach any specific religion is one thing; to teach 
 
1 70 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 irreligion and scepticism is quite a diiferent thing : the 
 former is negative and innocuous \ the latter is positively- 
 mischievous, — alike hostile to the liberal policy of the 
 State and the moral interests of the alumni, and repug- 
 nant to the feelings of all classes of the community, of 
 whatever religious persuasion they may be. It is im- 
 possible to calculate the mischief arising from the 
 systematic and unreserved inculcation of materialism in 
 a Government College. And yet this has gone on year 
 after year without a check or a protest. Its evil effects 
 have now assumed such formidable proportions that 
 further connivance is impossible. Amongst the advanced 
 students, materialism has found many advocates and 
 followers. They belong to no religious denomination, 
 and when questioned as to their real views of theology 
 and ethics, spout forth the stereotyped phrases of 
 thorough-going materialism. Not a few set themselves 
 up as staunch advocates of Utilitarianism and Positivism, 
 boastfully extol the philosophic beauty and grandeur of 
 these systems, and scoff at religion as a congeries of idle 
 fancies and childish whims. It is a pity they do not 
 understand the dangerous position they occupy. For 
 what are Utilitarianism, Positivism, MateriaHsm, Fatalism, 
 and all other isms of the Sensationalistic School, but 
 different species of philosophic worldliness ; and who are 
 their adherents but worldly-minded men who live for the 
 senses, seek only worldly interests, deny all the spiritual 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 171 
 
 realities which are above and beyond the animal life, and 
 who, with a view to attach the weight of philosophic 
 sanction to their speculations and practices, take one or 
 other of these big philosophic names ? It is to be deeply- 
 regretted that our countrymen should thus be led away 
 by false philosophy to sacrifice their true spiritual interests, 
 and casting off the restraint of moral obligations, expose 
 themselves to all the temptations and perils of unbridled 
 worldliness. There are some who do not take worldli- 
 ness to be so dangerous as it really is, for they find it not 
 necessarily incompatible \\dth honesty, and even philan- 
 thropy and charity. A little reflection will, however, show 
 that the spirit of worldliness is antagonistic to the first 
 principles of religion, and when invested with philosophic 
 importance, is hkely to prove pernicious and demoralizing 
 in the extreme. I must confess that the evils I com- 
 plain of are not confined to our colleges, nor are they 
 wholly attributable to the influence of the teachers. 
 Materialistic and sceptical notions, in some shape or 
 other, prevail largely, at the present day, amongst various 
 sections of our community, here and in the mofussil, and 
 some of our intelligent countrymen take active interest in 
 encouraging and spreading the same. In the majority of 
 cases such notions are merely the result of worldly- 
 mindedness. They are also specially fostered by the 
 transition-state through which the country is passing, and 
 which daily draws away hundreds from idolatry and 
 
172 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 superstition without giving them any positive faith in 
 exchange, and thus lands them in scepticism. All this, 
 however, might be tolerated, as being to some extent 
 inevitable. But when Government institutions offer a 
 premium to materialism, and systematically, and with the 
 weight of authority, inculcate it in youthful minds ; when 
 those to whom we naturally look up with high hopes for 
 the advancement of our nation — I mean the graduates of 
 our University — go forth into the world ^vith academic 
 honours in one hand and scepticism in another ; when 
 education, instead of being a safeguard against ungodli- 
 ness, directly encourages and promotes it ; — we feel that 
 our country's best interests and prospects are in jeopardy. 
 Hence is it that those who take an interest in the wel- 
 fare of the country have viewed with alarm the progress 
 of materialism and scepticism amongst the graduates 
 of our University. And certainly they have a right 
 to demand a higher order of intelligence and cha- 
 racter from men blessed with liberal education. They 
 have a right to demand that educated natives should 
 not glory in denying the spirituality, immortality, and 
 accountability of the human soul, and in professing 
 and practising that philosophy which dooms man to 
 the low indulgences of sensual life, and denies him the 
 prerogatives and happiness of the moral nature ; but 
 that, on the contrary, they should endeavour to prove 
 themselves in every respect worthy of the honour which 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY, 173 
 
 the State has conferred on them, and of the confidence 
 and respect of their own countrymen, by exhibiting 
 unblemished character, fervent piety, and humble reliance 
 upon God, side by side with their intellectual accom- 
 plishments. 
 
 But how is the needful reform to be brought about ? 
 ^Vhat is to be done to prevent scores of our educated 
 brothers from falling every year into the vortex of scepti- 
 cism and materialism, and to lead them to truth, right- 
 eousness, and God ? In such circumstances the revival 
 of the Brahmo School is evidently indispensable. I do 
 not mean to say that it will be able wholly to overcome 
 the gigantic evil referred to. But I hope and trust that 
 in the hands of Providence it may become an humble 
 instrument to suppress it in some measure — to offer 
 some resistance to the encroachments of materialistic 
 philosophy. In a case of overwhelming difficulties and 
 importance like this we cannot place any confidence in 
 our own limited capacities, or in any purely human agency. 
 God is our only hope, and we trust He will do what is 
 best for our country in this crisis, through this small 
 institution, which we consign wholly to His keeping. 
 Under His holy guidance it will teach the sublime 
 doctrines of true faith and the immutable principles of 
 morality, and will prove that true philosophy, far from 
 beipg inimical to, is the foundation of, religion and 
 morality. It will also, we hope, be of service to our 
 
174 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 young men in leading them practically to that higher life 
 to which they are destined, by giving them a true ideal of 
 manhood, and adequate motives for realizing it. Here, 
 gentlemen, your minds, hearts, and souls will be carried 
 through such systematic exercise and training as may 
 bring about the proper development of your whole 
 spiritual nature. Here the struggles between reason and 
 faith will be adjusted, and the two harmoniously engaged 
 in the service of God. Your secular enlightenment will 
 be rendered conducive to the purification of your heart 
 and the elevation of your character. Here, in short, you 
 will have the means of laying the foundation of spiritual 
 advancement on the firm basis of true philosophy. 
 
 Let me now proceed to give a sketch of the plan of 
 instructions which we shall follow in the School. We 
 propose to explain in a popular style the Theology and 
 Ethics of Brdhma Dharma. These subjects will be taken 
 up on alternate Sundays, so as to form two parallel series 
 of Lectures. It is necessary, in my opinion, to keep these 
 two subjects always connected with each other, otherwise 
 we may bring about all the evils and dangers of partial 
 and one-sided training. The inculcation of morality 
 without theology is likely to produce a habit of worldly 
 virtues and outward honesty, unaccompanied by a due 
 conception of God's attributes, prayerful reliance upon 
 His Providence, and a solemn sense of responsibility 
 under His eternal moral government. We do not want 
 that godless morality which is so much esteemed in the 
 
OF MENTAL PHIL SOPHY. 1 7 5 
 
 world, and which consists only in the fulfilment of a few 
 social and domestic duties ; we want that wholesome, 
 genuine morality which is grounded in faith, whose 
 standard is the divine will, and whose strength is divine 
 help. In order to comprehend and attain this, pre- 
 liminary theological training is indispensable, which will 
 give the mind proper notions of God and our relations to 
 Him. Nor is theology without morality less mischievous. 
 It makes man rest satisfied with the abstract knowledge 
 of God, or seek pleasure in the mere contemplation of 
 His nature and works. It begets conceited rationalism, 
 and exerts no influence on the emotions {>r the will. It 
 attaches little importance to the fulfilment of duty, and 
 makes religion consist in knowing God, not in ser\dng 
 Him. And hence it is often accompanied by a Hfe of 
 immoral thoughts and practices and vicious indulgences. 
 It is therefore necessar}' that theology and ethics should 
 go hand in hand. 
 
 Perhaps you will ask — what is there in Brahmic 
 Theology worth learning? I believe there is a great 
 deal to be learnt, if only we apply ourselves to it with 
 hearts free from prejudice and conceit. You are not to 
 expect here anything like hollow preaching, which only 
 addresses the feelings, but affords no solid argument for 
 reflection. Such preaching has certainly its uses else- 
 where. But in this institution, which is intended to be a 
 School, our object is not to preach, but to teach. On 
 referring to the vast mass of our sermons and popular 
 
176 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 tracts, you may have run away with the idea that there is 
 nothing in Brahma Dharma which requires thought or 
 study ; it is all superficial and commonplace. However 
 simple Brahmic truths may appear to be — and they 
 cannot be otherwise, as they are the spontaneous con- 
 victions of our natural consciousness — there is a world 
 of philosophy at the bottom, which must be explored 
 in order to reach their scientific principles. And as your 
 object here is to obtain a scientific knowledge of Brahmic 
 theology, it will be necessary to explain all its doctrines 
 in connection with philosophy. We intend to begin with 
 psychology, and make it always the basis of our speculations 
 and arguments. With its light we propose to clear up all 
 doubtful points ; and to it we shall appeal in solving all 
 difhculties. We shall proceed step by step, drawing legiti- 
 mate inferences from admitted premises, and from these 
 inferences again developing the conclusion which they 
 warrant, till we succeed in evolving the whole of Brahmic 
 theology. Theology is evidently dependent upon psy- 
 chology. The arguments and doctrines of religion are 
 derived chiefly from the constitution and laws of the 
 human mind. The more we look into our own con- 
 sciousness, the more we feel what human nature really 
 is, and recognise those facts of intelligence, personality, 
 and moral government which constitute the foundation 
 of our knowledge of God. It is mind, and not matter, 
 that furnishes the chief materials of theological know- 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY, 177 
 
 ledge. Hence the study of psychology is essential to 
 theology 
 
 You are not to infer, from what I have said, that unless 
 you become philosophers you cannot be Brahmos. Far 
 from it. The sweet simpHcities of Brahma Dharma are 
 soul-satisfying, and are capable of meeting all the require- 
 ments of faith. But those who desire to understand the 
 foundations of their faith and the reasons of their belief 
 should study psychology. They will come to find that 
 in the highest activity of our intellectual nature, reason 
 and faith are one ; that what we believe by faith is per- 
 fectly consonant with the highest philosophy. 
 
 In the department of Ethics we propose to take up 
 only those subjects which relate to practical morality. 
 Speculative Ethics, comprising an analysis of the nature 
 and functions of conscience, the doctrines of personaHty 
 and accountability, and the true theory of moral distinc- 
 tions, will be treated in the course of our Lectures on 
 Theology. In expounding the principles of Practical 
 Ethics we shall first describe the true destiny of human 
 life. We shall enumerate and explain the various duties 
 of man — to himself, to society, and to God. We shall 
 try to impress upon you the high standard of moral 
 purity which you should ever strive after, and to awaken 
 you to a sense of your imperfections and sins. We shall 
 explain in order the various means whereby the passions 
 may be governed, and all the propensities of the flesh 
 
 N 
 
178 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 subordinated to conscience ; and how man may be 
 delivered from corrupt thoughts and evil practices, and 
 how he may steadily advance in the path of purity and 
 rectitude. Gentlemen, I cannot sufficiently urge upon 
 you the importance of character. Religion is of very 
 little use if it cannot restrain our passions and enable us 
 to live with conscientious purity, and discharge our 
 various duties with fidelity and earnestness. A tree is 
 known by its fruits, and if we lead corrupt lives wt shall 
 certainly be hated as hypocrites, and we shall place our 
 religion in a false light before others. You must en- 
 deavour to be strict in your moral life, if you wish to 
 glorify God and secure your true welfare here and here- 
 after. Besides, the various fashionable vices of the day 
 which beset native society, and which have already 
 dragged so many young men into the paths of destruc- 
 tion, demand your utmost care and watchfulness, and 
 unless you habitually guard yourselves against tempta- 
 tion, and place your hearts under rigid moral discipline, 
 you cannot be saved. Labour " heart within and God 
 overhead," and pray unceasingly that with His strength 
 you may be able to compass the destiny of existence. 
 
 In conclusion, I have only to request that you will 
 attend the School regularly, and perseveringly go through 
 the routine of theological and moral exercises which will 
 be prescribed for you. May God bless this institution, 
 and render it conducive to the welfare of the teachers 
 and the pupils ! 
 
OF MENTAL PHILO.SOPHF. i-jq 
 
 II. 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 In entering upon a course of instructions in the Phi- 
 losophy of Religion, it is necessary, I believe, to say 
 a few words, in the commencement, on the utility of 
 philosophy with special reference to theological and 
 religious pursuits. I have already intimated, in my intro- 
 ductory address, that the study of psychology is essential 
 to the attainment of a scientific knowledge of the 
 doctrines of religion. Perhaps it is desirable to state the 
 grounds of this assertion more fully before we proceed to 
 discuss those doctrines, and to show how far a knowledge 
 of mind is useful to the theological student, and what are 
 the positive advantages which it confers on him. For if 
 you could realize the vast importance of mental philo- 
 sophy to theological inquiries, you will not only feel 
 intense interest and delight in prosecuting such inquiriei* 
 with its aid, but be enabled, by a right application of it, 
 to secure the end you have in view. 
 
 There is a sort of confraternity among all the sciences 
 and arts, and some of them throw light upon and afford 
 great help to others, with which they have special and 
 intimate connection. The science of astronomy, for 
 instance, has vastly contributed to the progress of navi- 
 
I So THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 gation ; the wonderful success of surgery in many of its 
 important branches is owing to the science of optics ; 
 agriculture is indebted to chemistry for many of its 
 modern improvements ; while engineering depends upon 
 tlie aid it receives from geology and mathematics. Now, 
 as some sciences are connected with other sciences, so 
 all sciences acknowledge a common connection with, and 
 dependence upon, mental science. The reason is obvious. 
 The mind is the instrument which we invariably employ 
 in all the sciences, and hence it exercises great influence 
 upon them for good or evil. It may have no relation 
 whatever to the endless variety of objects with which the 
 various sciences are conversant, and which give them 
 their respective names, but it is essentially connected 
 with science itself. Whatever those objects may be, the 
 function of science is simply to discriminate, classify, and 
 arrange them, and to deduce general laws and principles ; 
 and as these are intellectual processes, the mind is 
 obviously connected with all sciences, and the way in 
 which its faculties are employed must determine the 
 position and character of those sciences. A philosophic 
 acquaintance with the constitution and capabilities of the 
 mind is therefore essential to the proper cultivation of 
 even the physical sciences. We must understand aright 
 the instruments we use in order to wield them success- 
 fully. The sailor, it has been justly said, ought to know 
 the length of his line ; so he who seeks to explore and 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. i8i 
 
 fathom the depths of science, whether it be astronomy or 
 chemistry, optics or geology, ought to know the faculties 
 he employs for the purpose. In the absence of such 
 knowledge he might go beyond his depth; he might 
 launch into speculations beyond the reach of his 
 capacities, rove misguided amid uncertainties, or ulti- 
 mately sink into absurd hypotheses and false conclusions. 
 History tells us how, since the time of Lord Bacon, the 
 physical sciences, emancipated from the fetters with 
 which false philosophy had chained them, have careered 
 freely in the path of progressive development. And yet 
 that illustrious philosopher made no direct effort to 
 reform physical science ; all that he did was to reform 
 mental science, and place it on a sound logical basis. He 
 directed his attention to the root of the evil, and eradi- 
 cated all false notions regarding the nature and powers 
 of the human mind, and promulgated true theories of 
 reasoning. He gave to the world a new method of 
 philosophy, which, by liberating the science of mind, 
 indirectly enfranchised and improved the physical sciences. 
 This circumstance illustrates the important influence of a 
 knowledge of mind upon general science. The mind is 
 the centre of all sciences, and when this is mastered we 
 may easily extend our conquests in every department of 
 scientific speculation. 
 
 The utility of the philosophy of mind is strikingly 
 manifest in those departments of science and art in which 
 
1 82 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 we have not only to operate with the mind, but also upon 
 .the mind. Those who are engaged in politics and 
 education have to deal with, and influence the minds of, 
 communities and individuals ; and their success must 
 depend in a great measure on their knowledge of the 
 constitution and laws of the mind. It is the duty of 
 every Government to understand the general principles 
 and propensities of human nature, and the special habits 
 and tastes and inclinations of those subject to its 
 sway, that it may be able to frame suitable laws and 
 institutions, and such as are calculated to promote 
 peace and prosperity, harmonize differences, repress 
 crime, and encourage industry and virtue. Should it, 
 on the contrary, adopt arbitrary measures opposed to the 
 nature and interests of the subject people, the force of 
 oppression will issue in a terrible rebound in which 
 oppressed humanity will vindicate and right itself. To 
 the educationist a scientific knowledge of mind is of the 
 greatest importance. It is his vocation and duty to 
 atford such training to his pupils from infancy up as may 
 lead to the harmonious development of all their powers 
 and feelings; and he cannot hope to secure his end 
 unless he has fairly studied the economy and structure of 
 that delicate organism which he undertakes to improve. 
 Any wrong ideas of the constitution of human nature and 
 the laws which govern it will surely prove hurtful, and 
 defeat the object he has in view. He may adopt partial 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 183 
 
 and one-sided schemes of education, and thereby effect 
 the abnormal growth of certain faculties to the exclusion 
 of others ; or, by employing false methods, he may foster 
 and strengthen those passions which he ought to help to 
 restrain. In short, whether it be a statesman or educa- 
 tionist or a social reformer, whoever undertakes to pro- 
 mote the political, intellectual, or social well-being of 
 individuals or communities ought to possess an accurate 
 knowledge of the human mind, as it is essential to their 
 success. 
 
 I shall now proceed to show the special importance of 
 the philosophy of mind to theology and ethics : and this 
 I shall consider under two aspects — the one speculative, 
 the other practical ; the one objective, the other subjec- 
 tive. The value and importance of mind as an object of 
 speculation through w^hich we obtain a knowledge of the 
 fundamental principles and main arguments of religion 
 cannot be over-estimated. To what source are we to 
 refer but to the human mind for our ideas of God. 
 immortality, and duty, and w'here do we seek for their 
 proofs but in the mind ? The material world has no 
 doubt claims upon our gratitude, as to it we owe a large 
 amount of religious instruction and influence. It abounds 
 with exhibitions of the intelligence, power, and goodness 
 of its Maker ; while its beauty and sublimity ever regale 
 the imagination and lift it heavenward. The starr}- 
 convex above, the beautiful streams flowing down from 
 
1 84 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 majestic mountains and scattering plenty on both sides, 
 the variety of rich and inexhaustible treasures dug from 
 the bowels of the earth, the delicate organism of trees 
 and plants, the still more delicate and wonderful organism 
 of animated beings, impart to every healthy soul a volume 
 of knowledge which cannot fail to confirm faith and pro- 
 mote piety. But it must be confessed that the material 
 world, however salutary its influence may be on a soul 
 already religious, can never of itself indoctrinate us in 
 the truths of religion, which, being spiritual, are obtainable 
 in the spiritual world within. There is nothing in matter 
 itself, not even all the power and wisdom it manifests, 
 which can lead us to the True God, whose spiritual 
 nature, intelligence, personality, and holiness can only be 
 deduced from the facts of our consciousness. So true is 
 this, that those, even amongst the most learned, who 
 have studied the economy of the material world apart 
 from the revelations of the mind, have landed in mate- 
 rialism, and if they have formed any theology, it is a 
 theology made up of necessity and nature, law and blind 
 force, — unmoral and un spiritual, soulless and godless. 
 Those who look within and study the constitution of the 
 mind cannot fail to find in it positive arguments which 
 necessitate belief in true Theism. Our consciousness at 
 once reveals to us free intelligence and moral liberty as 
 the essential characteristics of the human mind which 
 distinguish it from matter, raise it above the brute neces- 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 185 
 
 sity which governs the material world, and constitute the 
 fundamental arguments for a Deity. To deny these 
 essential attributes of humanity would be to ignore the 
 basis of theology and ethics. Were we to identify mind 
 with matter, and regard intelligence as a mere physical 
 phenomenon, we must necessarily deny the spirituality 
 and independence of God ; and if we ignore our own 
 moral nature we would be constrained to deny God's 
 holiness and His position as Moral Governor of the 
 universe. From such fatal errors and mistakes psychology 
 alone can save us. It upholds theology and ethics, and 
 vindicates God. It leads us into our own minds, and 
 presents to us, on the indisputable testimony of con- 
 sciousness, those primary ideas and arguments of intelli- 
 gence, morality, free will, and infinity on which theology 
 as a science is based. With its aid also we are enabled 
 to combat successfully all false theories and notions in 
 reference to theology and ethics, and to discomfit scep- 
 ticism and materialism on the one hand, and superstition 
 on the other. If it be true that "ignorance of self is 
 ignorance of God," the philosophy of mind, by removing 
 the former, enables us to know God. 
 
 The highest utility of mental philosophy yet remains 
 to be mentioned. This consists in the exercise and dis- 
 cipline which it affords to the mind. In the whole range 
 of literature and science there is nothing, I believe, which 
 is so efficacious in this respect as psychology. You may 
 
1 86 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 talk of the inestimable advantages of history and mathe- 
 matics and physical science ; undoubtedly each is useful 
 in its own way ; but as a gymnastic of the mind none 
 could bear comparison with mental philosophy. The 
 various arts and sciences differ from each other in the 
 quantitative value of the knowledge they respectively 
 impart ; some offer a larger complement of positive truths 
 than others, and on that ground claim superiority over 
 the latter. In regard to the quality of knowledge also 
 there is disparity among them. Certain sciences are 
 said to give better, that is, more useful knowledge than 
 others, and are therefore esteemed more valuable. This 
 relative value again is, like the price of commodities in 
 the market of the world, subject to fluctuations under 
 the law of demand and supply. Engineering is reckoned 
 a more useful thing by the natives of India than navi- 
 gation, which is hardly appreciated, and is not in de- 
 mand ; while law and medicine rise in value according 
 to the prevalence of litigation and disease. Thus in 
 regard to quantity and quality of knowledge men attach 
 different degrees of superiority and inferiority to the 
 various arts and sciences. Nay, it is also a disputed 
 question among men whether he is wiser and worthy of 
 greater respect who possesses a larger amount of informa- 
 tion, or he who has acquired some branch of useful 
 knowledge. The astronomer who nightly watches the 
 movements of the heavenly bodies, and during the day 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 187 
 
 reduces his observations to science and law, and adds 
 continually to his stock of knowledge by study and 
 observation, glories and rejoices in the transcendent 
 dignity and value of his pursuits, and believes there is 
 nothing like astronomy. The engineer, on the other 
 hand, prides himself on the utility of his occupation as 
 he looks with complacence upon the splendid works 
 constructed by him, — houses, bridges, and railroads, — 
 ridicules the aerial speculations of the astronomer, and 
 flatters himself as the most useful member of society, 
 and extols the art of engineering as the most valuable 
 branch of knowledge, which furnishes the chief means 
 of utilizing the resources of a country, and thereby ad- 
 vancing its material prosperity. On careful consideration 
 it will, however, appear that the value which each of 
 them attaches to his own pursuit is indeed an inferior 
 kind of utility, and that true utility rests on far higher 
 grounds. What then is the true criterion of utility ? To 
 solve this important question it is necessary to under- 
 stand the destiny of man's life. For utility is to be 
 understood in a relative sense ; a thing is useful in 
 relation to certain objects to be attained." Hence that 
 science is pre-eminently useful which helps us to accom- 
 plish the highest object of existence. If we disregard 
 the various subordinate parts which men have to play 
 in the theatre of social existence, and consider the mis- 
 sion of man as man, we cannot but conclude that the 
 
1 88 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 paramount end of his existence is the perfection of his 
 nature, — the normal development of all his faculties and 
 feelings, of his entire spiritual constitution. There are 
 amongst men an endless variety of professions, and count- 
 less differences in their outward modes of living; but 
 as beneath all these differences there is identity of human 
 nature, so beneath the variety of professions there is 
 unity of human destiny All men, however dis- 
 similar in position, nationality, or race, are destined by 
 God to seek the development of their whole being, and 
 the perfection of their nature. This being the ultimate 
 end of man's life, it is evident that knowledge is useful 
 only so far as it contributes to this end. Herein lies 
 the only true criterion of utility. Astronomy and che- 
 mistry, navigation and engineering, medicine and law, are 
 all useful in their own way, but their utility is special, 
 not absolute, having reference to special relations and 
 requirements of society. They are called useful because 
 they qualify man to become an instrument of doing 
 some good to others. In proportion to the aptitude and 
 efficiency which a particular branch of knowledge affords 
 to man for 'the accomplishment of certain schemes of 
 social comfort would be its utility. Such an estimate of 
 the value of knowledge rests obviously on a misappre- 
 hension of man's true mission, and would be warrantable 
 only on the supposition that he is merely an instrument 
 for the accomplishment of some object external to him- 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 189 
 
 selfj and has nothing to do with his own improvement. 
 I admit — and who will not admit ? — that engineering is 
 highly useful, as it subserves some of the most important 
 purposes of society ; but what are the advantages which 
 it confers upon the engineer himself? Of what use is 
 a knowledge of engineering to him as a man ? It makes 
 him an instrument for the benefit of others, but does it 
 help him to improve his own faculties ? If not, however 
 great maybe its value in its relations to society and upon 
 worldly considerations, it lacks absolute utility. That 
 science is truly useful which conduces to the development 
 of the mind. Neither the mere knowledge of astronomy 
 nor the practice of engineering is entitled to be called 
 useful in the higher sense of the term, for while the latter 
 transforms man into a machine or instrument which, like 
 the steam-engine, ever does good to others, but attends 
 not to its own improvement, — the former, by supplying 
 only a large quantit}' of theoretic knowledge, converts 
 man into a mere library or magazine of information. 
 Neither in the number of truths learnt nor in the value 
 of the external advantages secured does the true utility 
 of a science consist, but in the exercise and discipline 
 with which it develops and perfects the mind itself. 
 This point demands your careful consideration, as I 
 know very erroneous opinions prevail among native 
 students on this important subject, opinions which, in my 
 opinion, seriously interfere with the successful prosecu- 
 
190 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 tion of scientific studies, and with true mental culture. 
 What you should aim at, Gentlemen, as the legitimate 
 object of your intellectual pursuits, is the cultivation 
 of the mental powers, and whatever knowledge you 
 attain should be rendered subservient to that end. What 
 if education enables you to obtain lucrative posts under 
 Government, or ply some independent and profitable 
 trade ? You may obtain riches and distinction, but would 
 you regard these advantages as a sufficient recompense 
 for your labours ? I hope you are theoretically at least 
 above the vulgar error which values education by the 
 money it brings. But many of you, I fear, v/ould boast- 
 fully point to your extensive stock of literary and scientific 
 information as the proud trophy of your intellectual con- 
 quests. You are the more inclined to do so as you find 
 such qualification to be a passport to university honour ; 
 but remember, Gentlemen, " cramming ^' never consti- 
 tuted the true honour or merit of a student. All that a 
 student should seek is mental improvement by means of 
 vigorous exercise ; but cramming affords little or no exer- 
 cise, except perhaps to the memory, which it loads with a 
 mass of facts and figures. The vocation of a scholar, 
 like the mission of man I have already described, is the 
 development of the mind. Behold the harmony between 
 the intellectual and moral destiny of man ! This the 
 teachers and students of our colleges and schools would 
 do well to remember and act upon. For the more our 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 191 
 
 students receive sound education, the more will they be 
 enabled to grow into true manhood, and to compass the 
 high purpose of human life here and hereafter. The 
 human mind needs exercise, varied and sustained exer- 
 cise, such as shall effect its continued development 
 towards perfection. Every faculty must be roused to 
 activity, all the energies must be harmoniously developed. 
 This would, however, be impossible if the mind were 
 treated as a mere receptacle of knowledge, and crammed 
 with other men's ideas and facts from books : for in that 
 case there would be no active exercise of the mind \ if 
 there be any, it would be a sort of passive activity, if I 
 may be allowed to use the expression. Unless the mind 
 be duly and continually exercised, there can be no healthy 
 growth, no real progress. In regard to our physical as 
 well as mental constitution, acti^•e exercise is essential to 
 health and strength and development. The human body 
 is so constituted that unless due exercise be given to 
 each limb and muscle, it will be a prey to debility and 
 disease, and perhaps paralysis, and the best food may 
 give it temporary gratification by relieving immediate 
 wants, but cannot give health or strength. Such is also 
 the constitution of the human mind. A fund of im- 
 portant and useful truths may aftbrd a morbid satisfaction 
 by gratifying mere curiosity, but is of little use in effecting 
 the healthy development of the mind unless each faculty 
 receives due exercise and discipline. 
 
192 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 These considerations bring us to the main point of 
 
 discussion, whether mental activity has any value in itself, 
 
 or whether it is simply a means to the attainment of 
 
 truth. To superficial observers the latter view would no 
 
 doubt appear to be the correct one. It is popularly 
 
 believed that the actual possession of truth is more 
 
 valuable than the mere pursuit of it. Such, however, is 
 
 not actually the case ; and the authority of a host of 
 
 eminent metaphysicians supports the contrary position, — 
 
 that the pursuit itself is of greater value than the truth 
 
 pursued, or, in other words, that mental exercise is more 
 
 important than the knowledge it enables us to attain. 
 
 Intellectual pursuits have been aptly compared to a 
 
 chase, in which the hunting has greater interest than the 
 
 game itself. When a truth which we were pursuing is 
 
 once possessed it loses its value and interest, unless it be 
 
 in its turn a stimulus to fresh activity and exertions. 
 
 Who would wish the indolent enjoyment of a few tniths? 
 
 Life would be a burden if men were doomed to a state of 
 
 mental rej^ose and inaction after the attainment of a 
 
 limited stock of knowledge. " To live is to energize." 
 
 We desire and pursue knowledge not so much for its 
 
 sake as for the new sphere of activity into which it will 
 
 introduce us, and the new hopes and aspirations it will 
 
 enkindle in us. We seek truth not with a view to rest in 
 
 it, but that it may stimulate fresh activity and fresh hope. 
 
 No amount of knowledge or happiness can satisfy the 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 193 
 
 mind ; what is already attained compels us to seek more ; 
 and even after extensive conquests have been achieved 
 we would weep, Alexander-like, if there be not more to 
 win. Man is made for activity; and if he is born to 
 enjoy happiness too, that happiness is the happiness of a 
 life of activity and hope, not the gratification of sleep, 
 not the final happiness of intellectual or religious beati- 
 tude. The truth is, we are destined to pass through 
 progressive stages of knowledge and happiness in the 
 path to perfection, and each stage we attain is valuable 
 only as the starting-point of fresh enterprise and activity. 
 It will be admitted, then, that the destiny of man being 
 the progressive development of the mind through con- 
 stant exercise, the utility of knowledge must be measured 
 according to its capacity to contribute to that end. 
 Those sciences and studies which afford greater and 
 more improving exercise to the faculties of the mind 
 possess a higher utility than those which impart greater 
 amount of knowledge or do greater good to society. It 
 follows, then, that mental science claims the first place in 
 the scale of utility, as nothing conduces so effectually 
 to mental exercise as the deep and careful study of the 
 facts of the mind itself. Experience teaches us that the 
 mind then enjoys the most vigorous and independent 
 exercise when we abstract ourselves from the external 
 world, and turn the eye inward upon the mind itself, and 
 try to understand its various phenomena. Several in- 
 
 o 
 
IQ4 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 teresting and important problems present themselves to 
 us, and in our efiforts to solve them our highest and best 
 faculties are brought into exercise ; we think and reason, 
 analyze and compare, and deduce general laws and prin- 
 ciples ; we scrutinize each fact of our consciousness \ and 
 we conduct repeated and independent experiments, the 
 entire apparatus being always within us, in order to test 
 the accuracy of our conclusions and the soundness of the 
 various theories propounded by others. Thus we pass 
 through the highest and most vigorous intellectual exer- 
 cises until we arrive at truth. And even if we fail now 
 and then to reach any definite conclusions, the very 
 exercise itself is valuable and repays our utmost toil, 
 inasmuch as it strengthens and disciplines the mind in 
 the most effectual manner. Such independent, sustained, 
 and varied exercise serves to rouse all the mental faculties, 
 and keep them in a state of healthy activity and elas- 
 ticity. Each being duly trained and disciplined for its 
 work, all the faculties are marshalled in order and 
 always kept ready for the most difficult scientific achieve- 
 ments. Thus the whole mind is harmoniously developed 
 under the best system of intellectual discipline. 
 
 But the discipline which the mind attains through 
 exercise in the gymnasium of mental philosophy is not 
 exclusively of an intellectual character ; it has also a 
 moral and religious influence. The'study of mind enables 
 us to reform it. I am prepared to testify to the truth of 
 
 1 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 195 
 
 this from my own experience. When through the grace 
 of God the light of rehgion first dawned on my mind, 
 and enabled me to see my sins and bestirred me to seek 
 deliverance from them, I derived much aid from meta- 
 physics in my early struggles. I felt little or no interest 
 in the science before, and always regarded it as a dry 
 and unprofitable study. But it since assumed an alto- 
 gether new and interesting aspect in connection with my 
 religious life. Philosophy first taught me insight and 
 reflection, and turned my eye inward from the things of 
 the external world, amidst which alone it hitherto loved 
 to roam. I began to think of myself, and reflect on my 
 position, character, and destiny. A spirit of seriousness 
 came over me, accompanied by a habit of reflection, and 
 I felt a distaste for light literature, idle amusements, and 
 trivial worldly occupations. Levity gave way to earnest- 
 ness. Nothing pleased me so much or appeared so 
 valuable as earnest and deep thought. The mental 
 powers attained a degree of tensity and firmness, and 
 repressed those irregular thoughts and desires which their 
 former lax state had naturally fostered. The rigid disci- 
 pline through which the mind passed served as a safe- 
 guard against any disorder or insubordination of the 
 lower propensities, against their secret conspiracy and 
 open revolt. The more I reflected on my nature, the 
 more I discovered my secret sins ; and in my struggles 
 with these sins I felt the strength of mental discipline. 
 
196 THE RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE 
 
 In self-knowledge I found the secret of self-government. 
 The study of mental science taught me that my mind 
 was really viy mind. Formerly the passions of the mind 
 seemed to be above all restraint and control, now it 
 appeared possible to bring them under the domination of 
 the moral law through a course of severe and systematic 
 discipline. In relating my own experiences I do not 
 mean to exaggerate the moral influence of mental philo- 
 sophy. I do not believe that it can enable us to wholly 
 sanctify the heart and purify the soul. No, it is not 
 given to man to save himself from sin ; only Divine grace 
 working through our prayers can effect that object. All 
 that I urge on your consideration, on the testimony of 
 my personal experience, is that the scientific study of 
 mind imposes great restraint on the propensities and 
 impulses of our lower nature by bringing them under a 
 system of discipline, while the habits of earnestness and 
 deep thought which it promotes materially help us in 
 overcoming temptations, and dispose our hearts for the 
 serious contemplations and pursuits of the higher life. 
 
 I have thus briefly explained the several advantages of 
 mental philosophy. I have pointed out its relative utility, 
 first, in its bearings on science in general, in which the 
 mind is used as the instrument of operation ; secondly, in 
 reference to those sciences in which the mind is the 
 subject of operation. I have demonstrated its objective 
 value as the means of attaining the truths of theology and 
 
OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 197 
 
 ethics. Lastly, I have considered its subjective utiHty 
 as the best means of affording intellectual and moral 
 exercise to the mind. This last is, as I have said, the 
 highest utility of psychology, and the best recommenda- 
 tion for its study ; and in order to appreciate it properly 
 and take due practical advantage of it, it is necessary 
 that you should understand the high destiny of your life. 
 The more you do this, the more you will feel the sub- 
 limity and utility of mental philosophy, the greater will be 
 your practical interest in it, and your success in using it 
 for your intellectual and moral improvement, and the 
 reformation of your entire spiritual nature. Whether you 
 pursue secular studies in your respective colleges or 
 listen to theological lectures in the Brahmo School, your 
 first duty as students is to seize upon the true object of 
 your life, to wit, the progressive development of your 
 mind towards perfection by means of exercise and disci- 
 pline. I must especially insist on your keeping this 
 object in view in connection with this institution. In 
 applying yourselves to the philosophy of theology and 
 ethics, you should never think of merely collecting in- 
 formation or carrying home a load of doctrines and truths. 
 Give your minds independent and vigorous action, and 
 with God's help you will be enabled to advance steadily 
 in the path of moral and religious progress. 
 
RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL REFORMA- 
 TION. 
 
 A Lecture delivered in the Toxim Hall, Bombay, Majxh 24, 1868. 
 
Fellow-Countrymen and Friends, 
 
 FOUR years have elapsed since I first visited your 
 great city, and did myself the honour of addressing 
 you in this large hall. I am glad I am enabled to be 
 once more amongst you as your friend, well-\\isher, and 
 servant, anxious to ser\'e you in the matter of your 
 country's reformation. Several very important changes 
 have transpired during these four years, here as well as 
 elsewhere. The most important change which strikes 
 me in Bombay is that in commercial and money matters. 
 Very great commercial disasters have befallen your city 
 recently, and the change is indeed very striking. When 
 I first came here, I felt it very difficult to pass through 
 your streets ^\ith anything like convenience, so very 
 crowded they were ; and I could hardly find time to 
 converse with my friends here, so busy they were. If 
 ever I could get time to converse with them for fifteen 
 minutes, there were sure to be two or three interruptions. 
 But now Bombay is far more quiet : — there is less of 
 business, less of pressure, less of anxiety, — people seem 
 now to be gliding on smoothly as it were. So we had in 
 
202 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 Bengal a very dreadful cyclone. It came on roaring and 
 howling, and prostrated many a house, many a man, 
 pulled down dilapidated edifices, and caused prodigious 
 havoc amongst the shipping. It opened the eyes of the 
 people to the insecure foundations upon which they had 
 built their houses ; and so we drew some lessons from 
 the great cyclone, — improved architecture, improvements 
 in the shipping, and a more careful and scientific study 
 of meteorological phenomena. Now, my friends, as you 
 have been overtaken here by a commercial cyclone, as 
 disastrous in its consequences as the great cyclone in 
 Lower Bengal, I hope you will endeavour to draw certain 
 lessons from such disasters. Those who did not build 
 their houses and firms on the secure foundations of 
 honesty have seen, to their great sorrow and mortifica- 
 tion, how these houses and firms have given way ; — care- 
 lessness, dishonesty, want of foresight, have all been 
 punished as they deserved to be, for the laws which 
 govern God's moral world are as immutable and as un- 
 changeable as those which govern His physical universe. 
 What, then, are the lessons which you ought to draw from 
 the commercial crash which has happened here? That 
 you should have less of that Mammon-worship, — less of 
 that worship and adoration of the world which you had 
 formerly, — more of honesty and truthfulness, — more of 
 care and circumspection and foresight in the manage- 
 ment of your secular afi"airs — and a heart full of faith in 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 203 
 
 the great God, His holiness, His power, His wisdom, 
 and His mercy. If you do not interpret the recent 
 commercial disaster in Bombay in this way, — if you do 
 not draw these lessons from that disaster, — I do not 
 know how you can regard such an event as pro\idential ; 
 — for I do verily believe that a \isitation like this, or Hke 
 the late cyclone in Bengal, may be made productive of 
 blessings to the land. God always brings good out of 
 evil. When He sends an affliction, his great object is to 
 chasten us and humble us. Were it not for this, perhaps 
 Bombay would have still gone on carelessly and madly 
 in the pursuit of gold that perisheth — perhaps the eyes 
 of Bombay would not up to this time have been open to 
 the necessity of reforming the soul, of laying up pro- 
 visions for immortality. As it is, I thank God. I thank 
 Him for all the calamitous visitations which He sends 
 down to individuals and to nations \ for ultimately good 
 does flow from these. It is only necessar}^ therefore, on 
 your part, that you should rightly interpret such a 
 disaster, and draw from it those lessons which it is 
 designed by Providence to offer to you for your guidance. 
 I say, we have had too much of Mammon-worship here. 
 What is it, then, that should engage your attention now ? 
 You \\ill perhaps say you will only learn honesty, you 
 will only try to acquire a habit of veracity, straight- 
 forwardness, and prudence, — you will no longer place 
 absolute confidence in those who deserve it not. Ah, my 
 
104 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 friends, you are mistaken if you think so ! You ought 
 to give yourselves up entirely to the Supreme Ruler of 
 the Universe, for He has spoken to you to that effect in a 
 manner in which He very seldom speaks to nations. 
 This commercial disaster I look upon as a special dis- 
 pensation and a special revelation to the people of 
 Bombay — something that has been delivered to you as 
 an eloquent sermon pointing out the evils of Mammon- 
 worship, and the necessity of recognising the worship of 
 the True God. Read that sermon — be holier — be nobler 
 — and try to become collectively a mightier, a more 
 righteous nation. I do not bring an indiscriminate and 
 sweeping charge against you, my brethren, for I do very 
 well know that some very honest, some innocent men 
 have suffered, simply because they put too much trust in 
 men who had no honesty in them. But such is the case 
 all the world over. This disaster is a warning, not 
 merely to those who were dishonest, but also to those 
 men who were innocent, and who suffered from the 
 dishonesty of others : — it is a warning to all inhabitants 
 of Bombay in this sense, that it preaches to us the great 
 truth, " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest 
 he fall." Those who have sustained losses ought to 
 make amends by trying to conduct themselves in a more 
 honest, manly style \ and those who have not suffered 
 ought also to be equally religious, pious, and honest. 
 Then shall the purpose of God's dispensation be realized 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 205 
 
 fully, I trust and hope, in this part of the country. What 
 is the great subject which you should now be prepared 
 to receive, attend to, discuss, and carry out into prac- 
 tice? — the subject of reformation. Methinks, God by 
 this eloquent, this most eloquent and impressive sermon 
 tells us all, — " Think of the true interests of your souls, 
 and of the souls of millions of your fellow-countrymen 
 and countrywomen." Adversity, I hope, has humbled 
 you sufficiently to see the uncertainty and hollowness of 
 earthly prosperity, and feel the necessity of directing 
 your early attention to the subject of individual and 
 national reformation. Patiently, my brethren, hear me, 
 therefore, while I endeavour to expound in my humble 
 manner what I conceive to be the true principles of 
 Indian regeneration as it refers to individuals and to 
 communities. 
 
 What is the programme of reforms you think I intend 
 to lay before you this evening ? Not half-measures, hke 
 the education of this section of the community or the 
 reformation of that particular social evil. I would most 
 emphatically say that I do not belong to that school of 
 secular reformers according to whom Indian reform means 
 nothing more than strong garrisons on the frontier, irriga- 
 tion, female education, intermarriage, and widow-marriage. 
 These cannot — it is my most firm conviction — these 
 cannot lift India as a nation from the mire of idolatry, 
 of moral and social corruption. If you wish to regene- 
 
2o6 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 rate this country, make religion the basis of all your 
 reform movements. (Applause.) Were I engaged in 
 the work of reforming this country, I would not be busy 
 in lopping off the branches, but I would strike the axe 
 at the fatal root of the tree of corruption, namely — 
 idolatry. Ninety-nine evils out of every hundred in 
 Hindu society are, in my opinion, attributable to 
 idolatry and superstition. Do not, then, whitewash the 
 edifice while the foundations are so weak and cannot 
 bear the superstructure : try not to gild the dead body, 
 to adorn it with jewels, ornaments, and costly vestments, 
 while there is no life within, — while the pulse does not 
 beat. Give India life before you give her railroads and 
 telegraphs, and all other advantages of material pros- 
 perity. Who is to enjoy these blessings ? — is the 
 question. Dead, almost dead, prostrated, spiritually-im- 
 poverished India cannot rise up, has not the heart, has 
 not the muscles, to rise up in order to enjoy this super- 
 abundance of material comfort which you have placed 
 before her. Give her first life, — infuse into her true 
 spiritual life, — emancipate her from the thraldom of 
 idolatry and superstition, — open her eyes to the degraded 
 condition into which she has sunk, — that she may rise in 
 the strength of the Lord, and stretch forth her emanci- 
 pated arms in order to lay hold of those treasures which 
 you have placed before her. Besides, Hindu society 
 has a very peculiar structure. Here in India we do not 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 207 
 
 see religion on one side, society on the other; but 
 rehgion and society are interwoven with each other. It 
 has been justly said that the Hindus walk and sit 
 religiously, eat and drink religiously, work and sleep 
 religiously ; — their social organism is interwoven with 
 their religion. If, therefore, you \\dsh to reform the social 
 organism of India, you must, in the first instance, give 
 her true religion, or else your attempts will be ineffectual. 
 Give her Hfe, — give her capacity to think about her 
 spiritual interests, — and then you will find social reforma- 
 tion will spontaneously — in the natural course of things 
 — come about in the fulness of time. You have only 
 to purify the source ; you have only to put new life into 
 the very heart of the nation, — and you wdll see the blood 
 wdll get purified, — -vitality, animation, vigour will be seen 
 in every part of the social organism of the country. That 
 is the way, at least, my brethren, in which I intend to 
 work, and I would ask you to adopt this same plan. 
 The reformation, in other words, must be radical, must 
 be thorough, must be organic. We cannot rest satisfied 
 ^vith half-measures; we may congratulate and felicitate 
 ourselves, saying, — here are so many schools, so many 
 colleges, interspersed in all parts of the country ; there is 
 widow-marriage going on ; there is female education 
 going on ; our roads have been improved, — and all that 
 sort of thing. But India still weeps ; India still cries ; a 
 hundred and eighty millions of her population are still 
 
2o8 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 in the bonds of moral and spiritual slavery. How are 
 we to raise them ? — is the great question. I look not 
 to the outward decorations, but to the inward life. 
 How shall the men and the women of India see and 
 recognise their true God, that they may lay up provisions, 
 not only for this world, but for the next ? Man comes 
 not into this stage of existence, into this world, for the 
 gratification of his senses, for the attainment of a few 
 material advantages ; his attention ought to be directed 
 to that world which we call the hereafter of our existence. 
 There let us look, and if you are true patriots, true 
 reformers, I ask you, brethren, — exhort you, brethren, — 
 to give India spiritual emancipation before you give her 
 social or intellectual emancipation or material refoniiation. 
 Idolatry, then, must be abolished, — that is the first pro- 
 position from which I have to start. And in this matter 
 I would not allow you to compromise your consciences 
 in the least : — it is a matter that admits of no wavering, 
 discussion, or argument : — it is not one of those questions 
 in connection with which you might for the present go 
 to sleep, saying the time has not yet arrived. It is a 
 matter of conscience, and it ought to be treated and acted 
 upon as such. If idolatry is an abomination, you must 
 do away with it. That day was really an important one 
 in your individual biography when you first entered a 
 Government school or college for education. You knew 
 not, perhaps, that the convictions and ideas that the 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 209 
 
 schoolmaster would put into your hearts would lead you 
 so far, or demand from you such a heavy amount of 
 sacrifice. And yet such is now the case. English educa- 
 tion, — not pulpits, not your religious teachers, not even 
 religious books, — but EngHsh education, in the first 
 place, emancipated your minds from all superstitious ideas, 
 and from all belief in idolatry; and so you now stand 
 before me with your hearts and minds disabused of all 
 superstitious notions. But have you put any positive 
 faith, any positive creed there? You have given up 
 your idols — some of you may have done so practically — 
 but have you acknowledged the True God ? That is the 
 great question which I have to put to you. Your minds 
 are enlightened; perhaps some of you would step for- 
 v.ard and say — " We are too enlightened to bow down 
 before a God or the God." Oh, my friends, I am 
 exceedingly sorry, — but such is really the case, — that a 
 large number of my educated fellow-countrymen, not only 
 in this presidency, but in other presidencies in India, do 
 actually spend the twenty-four hours of their days and 
 nights without offering a single prayer to God, without 
 taking the name of the Lord even once ! Is not this 
 startling enough ? And while I congratulate myself on 
 the establishment of schools and the progress of social 
 reforms, shall I be told that educated natives have no 
 creed ? The Christians have their churches, the Hindus 
 their temples, and Mahomedans their musjids ; but what 
 
 p 
 
210 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 about the educated natives of India ? I admit that they 
 are enhghtened — very enHghtened some of them are — 
 and they have got almost all the honours which the 
 University could possibly confer on them. But where 
 is their religion? Could we place confidence, — in the 
 name of common sense, I ask you, — could w^e place con- 
 fidence in a man who never takes the name of the Lord ? 
 Is it not a great shame to us, my friends ? Consider this 
 point seriously ;— how educated natives stand at present, 
 without a God to guide them, without an immortaHty to 
 stimulate their hopes and aspiration-s, without at the 
 same time, as an inevitable consequence, a strong pure 
 conscience to spur them to deeds of moral heroism, to 
 deeds of self-denying philanthropy. If they wish to be 
 true to their mother-land, they ought, without the least 
 delay, to raise an altar in their hearts and in their homes 
 unto the glory of the True God. Do that, and all the 
 rest of the work will be done by Him in whom you will 
 thus have put your confidence and trust. I have already 
 told you this work must be done instantaneously. You 
 may go and establish debating clubs for the discussion of 
 questions about the remarriage of widows ; but here in 
 the matter of faith, here in the matter of acknowledging 
 the One God and the True God of the Universe, here in 
 the matter of feeling the urgency of offering from to- 
 morrow daily prayers unto Him, here I would allow no 
 wavering — I would not allow you to expostulate or 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 211 
 
 remonstrate, to argue or waver, but would call upon you 
 to push your energies forward, upward, heavenward, 
 without any delay. 
 
 Then, perhaps, you ^^dll ask me, what is my pro- 
 gramme of social reform? I would say, all the social 
 reforms I would propose for your consideration are 
 involved in this grand radical reformation, — religious 
 reformation. You will not be required to convene 
 public meetings for the purpose of carrying out this 
 reform or that. No. For then, through faith, the sense 
 of duty of each individual \A\\ have been awakened 
 to this vv-ork, — to the urgency and momentousness of 
 attending practically to the social interests of India. 
 Questions of social reform will not then appear to you as 
 matters of worldly expediency, but as questions of vital 
 moral importance, and will come upon you with all the 
 weight of moral obHgation. To believe in the Father- 
 hood of God is to believe in the brotherhood of man ; 
 and whoever, therefore, in his own heart and in his own 
 house worships the True God daily, must learn to recog- 
 nise all his fellow-countrymen as brethren. Caste would 
 vanish in such a state of society ; in such an enthusiastic 
 rehgious state of fellowship, caste would die of itself. 
 You will not then be required to say a word against 
 caste. Declare a crusade against idolatry, and I assure 
 you that the very sight of that ^vill drive caste to des- 
 peration ; — and then the monster dies — the monster that 
 
212 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 has for centuries eaten into the vitals of India. If I 
 believe that my God is one, and that He has created us 
 all, I must at the same time instinctively, and with all 
 the warmth of natural feelings, look upon all around 
 me — whether Parsees, Hindus, Mahomedans, or Euro- 
 peans — as my brethren. Where, then, are distinctions ? 
 Where are those questions about dinners and intermar- 
 riages, which we so often meet, and which seem to 
 puzzle many ? All these problems Avill be then solved 
 most readily, most easily. If you ask me to dine with 
 you, if you ask me to get my daughter married to a man 
 of another caste, I will not go to ask philosophy or 
 logic, I will not try to convene social debating clubs, I 
 \Nill not go to ask my schoolmaster what I ought to do. 
 My sense of duty wdll be all in all to me. It will guide 
 me, and compel me to action, — saying, if you wish to be 
 true to that God whom you have recognised as your 
 Father, be true to all around you who are your brethren. 
 (Applause.) My friends, we see, however, at present a 
 different state of things. Men put caste first in the 
 list, and try to solve the difficulty, but that is impos- 
 sible. Men think caste is something insignificant — not 
 very formidable ; they think that they can easily dis- 
 pose of it without being Theists, without being be- 
 lievers in God. I admit that the work of social re- 
 formation is comparatively easy; but I ask you, where 
 would the moral courage come from, which is essential to 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 213 
 
 the attainment of success even in social matters ? You 
 wish to get your widows re-married : have you moral 
 courage enough within you capable of bearing down 
 opposition and confronting persecution? You ^vish to 
 make short work of that ; — you \vish to construct a royal 
 road to reformation and improvement. But remember 
 tliat even in social reform, moral courage and enthusiasm 
 are necessary ; — it is necessary to feel truth to be stronger 
 than evil, — to feel that eternity is worth living for, — and 
 to be ready to sacrifice all the pleasures and advantages of 
 this world. That courage, that enthusiasm, can only be 
 procreated by true faith ; and it is because we are wanting 
 in that faith that some of our reformers, who in the 
 first instance showed not a little pluck, resolution, and 
 manliness, afterwards went back in a state of detestable 
 retrogression ; — so that even those who profess to be re- 
 formers of India are not to be trusted. What a scandal ! 
 Let us not have such reformers ! Be true to God, and 
 then, when you embark on the enterprise of Indian 
 social reformation, you will not shrink back from its 
 difficulties. With God's aid, that work shall be done, 
 which was difficult — impossible — without God's aid. 
 Female education, widow-marriage, abolition of caste, 
 — all these questions will then be simple questions of 
 duty — of benevolence and justice. Have I any right to 
 deny any of my fellow-countrymen or countrpvomen 
 those rights, privileges, advantages, and pleasures which, 
 
214 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 as men and women — as God's children — they are entitled 
 to ? Benevolence will solve the difficulty. A heart full 
 of compassion and pity will melt as it beholds the poor 
 widow, suffering from all those disasters, mortifications, 
 and distresses to which Hinduism has consigned her lot. 
 It is only necessary to see her that you may feel for 
 her. No eloquent pleadings of a logician are necessary 
 to persuade you, to constrain you, to put forth your 
 energy in order to rescue her from such an inhuman, 
 cruel, and miserable lot. You will not wait then for 
 the opinions of others ; you will at once rush forward 
 to relieve her. So also with regard to the general im- 
 provement — the general emancipation — of females. They 
 may, for centuries, have been immured in the Zenana^ 
 and denied the light of education ; — but when a religious 
 reformer sees their case, takes their case to heart, there 
 is enough to set him to work. And whether it be educa- 
 tion, or social reformation, or the improvement of roads, 
 — whether it be material, social, or intellectual reforma- 
 tion, — all these, I say, will spontaneously and naturally 
 flow from religious reformation. I do not undervalue 
 material prosperity, I do not undervalue social reforma- 
 tion, — all these I would urge upon you ; but make reli- 
 gion the centre of all your reform movements — make 
 religion the basis on which reorganized, reformed, and 
 regenerated India will stand in future. Make that the 
 foundation ; no other foundation but that can give India 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 215 
 
 pennanent prosperity. She may smile awhile, and enjoy 
 temporary happiness ; she may be driven into spasmodic 
 excitement, resembling vitality, by the application of ex- 
 ternal remedies. But if you wish her real and abiding 
 prosperity, oh ! give her religion, — force her to acknow- 
 ledge the True God. From every true Indian, therefore, my 
 object would be, in the first instance, to extort a full and 
 free confession of sin, and a candid and sincere acknow- 
 ledgment of the One True God as the proper object of 
 worship, of love, and of faith. (Applause.) When that is 
 done, the work of social reformation may be slow, may 
 come on gently and quietly ; but if, without seeing the lull 
 realization of my ideas of social reformation, I were to die 
 simply seeing a large number of my countrymen in Bom- 
 bay and Madras and Bengal standing forward manfully and 
 boldly, carrying the banners of the One True God, then 
 on my death-bed I would say with the greatest pleasure, 
 — God be glorified ! This is the way, then, in which you 
 ought to proceed. I don't come here to teach you any- 
 thing new, but simply to enkindle your sympathies and 
 feelings for your great country. She has sunk down, and 
 it is your duty, as the representatives of the rising genera- 
 tion, to elevate her — to emancipate her. As I have often 
 thought over this matter, I felt it my duty to come and 
 tell you how you ought to proceed. I have seen many a 
 misconception, many a false idea, prevalent in different 
 parts of the country amongst the educated natives in 
 
lib RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 regard to the subject of reformation. Some do not like 
 religion — they have not the heart, they say, for religion. 
 Some are too much absorbed in worldly speculations, 
 and seem to believe they have not time or energy enough 
 to spare for the purpose of cultivating religious knowledge 
 or carrying out works of religious improvement. Through- 
 out the twenty-four hours of your time, have you not five 
 minutes even, my brethren, to spare ? You would spend 
 the whole of the time that has been placed at your dis- 
 posal in swallowing all the good things that God gives 
 you every day as food, — in enjoying all the comforts 
 which He showers upon you every day as material 
 blessings, — and for the worship of that God you have 
 not time, you have not energy enough ! Oh, my friends, 
 do snatch away five minutes of your time every day to 
 say one word — though it be only one word — unto the glory 
 of Him who has created you ! Begin the work, then, in 
 that way. I tell you again, I shall allow no excuse or 
 wavering in this matter ! You may discuss and argue in 
 reference to other subjects, but here give up your hearts 
 entirely and at once, or else your proceedings shall be a 
 scandal to your consciences, an insult to your reason. 
 If you are really educated men, step forward instan- 
 taneously, and boldly proclaim your belief in the One 
 True God, and forthwith abjure idolatry. And is it too 
 much to expect this from you ? You may say you are 
 not prepared for this thing or that thing. But it is not 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 21 j 
 
 those things I want ; I want simply an acknowledgment 
 from you of that which you really believe in your own 
 heart. Every educated Hindu already believes in his 
 own heart that God is one, not many, — that the things of 
 clay and stone to which his superstitious countrymen bow 
 down are not to be identified with the True God. That 
 is your persuasion as much as it is mine. Why, then, 
 shall you take your hearts away, — why, then, shall you 
 recoil, when I call upon you to establish a community of 
 spiritual fellowship amongst you, that we may all recipro- 
 cate our better feelings and ideas and aspirations, and 
 glorify Him who is our common Father ? Thus alone is 
 it possible to realize a spiritual and social confederation 
 amongst the educated natives of all India. (Applause.) 
 But one thing I shall not conceal from you. The very 
 day you have acknowledged the One True God, you 
 ^vill find that it is not a small thing you have done. 
 That very acknowledgment will demand of you a 
 surrender of all the evils — intellectual, moral, and 
 social — that lay accumulated in your hearts, and a 
 sacrifice of all temporal advantages for the sake of truth. 
 Merely to avow faith in the True God means some- 
 thing more than meets the ear. It means something 
 more, I say, in the present state of native society. If 
 you recognise the One God, you must undergo self- 
 denial, hardships, privations, and sufferings. But what 
 if such be the case ? There shall be abundant com- 
 
2 1 8 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 pensation in spirit. You shall be blessed \vith truth, 
 and through you, your country. You will find purity 
 flowing into your souls, and impurity ebbing away. 
 You will find the light of religion going forth and 
 illuminating the circumambient atntiosphere, — purifying 
 it, — sending forth blessings all around, in which your 
 wives, sisters, and brothers, and all your countrymen will 
 gladly participate. A true believer in God, placed in 
 the centre of a native family or of native society, will 
 throw out on all sides and in all directions ennobling, 
 purifying, and sanctifying rays of truth. In the hands of 
 God such a man may prove a powerful instrument for the 
 conversion not only of a family, not only of a neighbour- 
 hood, but of a district, a province, a country, — perhaps 
 an empire, a nation. Under-estimate not the influence 
 which faith in God brings with it, — under-estimate not 
 your own talents for the work, — for when you have faith 
 in God, you will find your resources multiplying ; — your 
 sinews, which are now weak as those of the new-born 
 babe, shall become strong as those of Hercules; your 
 eyes now drooping, languishing, fading day by day as 
 you contemplate your country's distress, deplore your 
 own privations, and mourn over the various sufferings of 
 your family— those very eyes will then flash forth the fire 
 of hope, and the fire of defiance to those who dare 
 oppose you. For into your bodies and souls will be 
 infused the spirit of divine life, of divine power, of divine 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 219 
 
 wisdom. Fear not, then, though you may be weak, 
 though many may gather frowningly around you to 
 oppose you. Think only of your God, and believe with 
 your hearts and say with your mouth that He is One, and 
 that you shall never pollute your heart or hand with 
 idolatry. If you will but do that, I say all requisite 
 means and agencies will be placed at your disposal. 
 Power will be yours, combination will be yours, — a most 
 powerful and vigorous organization of educated and 
 honest men will be yours. Two or three units of souls 
 true to God will naturally form themselves into a small 
 association, — not because they are invited to do so, — but 
 because the law of mutual attraction which governs the 
 moral world will inevitably lead all souls towards each 
 other that are imbued with common spiritual ideas ; and 
 thus from the remotest mountains of the Himalayas down 
 to Cape Comorin you will find in the fulness of time one 
 vast Theistic fellowship— the same national heart throb- 
 bing, the same national pulse beating throughout India, 
 Then shall we find that, as we have been in days gone 
 by one great nation, so shall we be a greater, a more 
 powerful nation, — an altogether regenerated nation. 
 (Loud applause.) While speaking of combination, I 
 cannot fail to notice what has proved a great mischief in 
 the way of reformation ; and that is, the large number of 
 merely professing reformers we have in our country. 
 There is no want of reformers : there is only want of 
 
220 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 reform. There is no want of eloquence or orations : 
 there is only want of deeds. There is no want of pro- 
 fession, but there is want of practice. Now, the thing 
 that every one who sets up as an Indian reformer does — 
 every native I mean — is this : he gives eloquent and 
 stirring addresses to large congregations of his educated 
 fellow-countrymen, calling upon them to do this thing 
 and that thing, v/hile he secretly believes that all that he 
 says is intended for the auditory, not for himself, — that 
 the rules he suggests ought to be carried out by those 
 who hear him, not by the speaker himself. This reminds 
 me, gentlemen, of a story which is current in Lower 
 Bengal about certain weavers getting into some diffi- 
 culty about their numerical strength. Some of you are 
 perhaps aware that the weavers are considered in that 
 part of the country a very inferior sort of men, rather 
 blunt and stupid. Well, a dozen of these men went out 
 with a view to travel into some distant country. After 
 they had gone some way, one of them happened to count 
 their number, and, to his great regret and astonishment, 
 he found there were only eleven persons, and not twelve I 
 When this was made known to the others it excited 
 ridicule. One of them, however, took up the hint rather 
 seriously : he counted the number with a view to satisfy 
 himself and to know the actual facts of the case. He, 
 too, found there were eleven. The same arithmetic, with 
 the same result, passed round the company ; there were 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 221 
 
 only eleven ! The mistake of course arose, you see, from 
 the fact that each one of those wiseacres omitted himself 
 and counted all the rest. (Laughter and applause.) Now, 
 the history of Indian reform, \x\\h very few exceptions, 
 appears to me to be the weavers' story all over. The 
 eloquent reformer ever preaching his country's cause 
 forgets himself, omits himself He lays down a very 
 brilliant programme of social, moral, and religious reforms 
 for the consideration of a very enlightened audience ; and 
 while they go seriously into contemplation, and discus- 
 sion, and deliberation, the reformer heartily chuckles 
 over the thing, and complacently enjoys the secret satis- 
 faction of having deceived the people. His name appears 
 in print as that of a very great reformer — not only a 
 speaker, but a true, sincere reformer. That is all, per- 
 haps, he wanted, and he has accompHshed his object. 
 (Applause.) Ah ! there are many such refonners in our 
 country. I wish to see such hypocrisies brought to an 
 end as soon as possible. Education has made many 
 hypocrites, and hypocrites appear even in the jDulpit and 
 on the platform, and indeed they are very obtrusive. 
 Had these men confined themselves in their own houses 
 — and their hypocrisy in their own hearts — they would 
 not have done any mischief to their fellows-countrymen ; 
 but we see their evil influence spreading over the country 
 with all the rapidity and danger and dreadfulness of a 
 foul contagion, and whoso is seized with it gets his heart 
 
222 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 and his soul afflicted with the baneful malady of hypocrisy 
 and insincerity ; — and it is through two hypocrites and 
 five hypocrites that we have come to possess in the 
 course of time a large number of hypocrites in our 
 country. In India how slowly has the work of reforma- 
 tion spread, and yet, I would ask you, how many lectures 
 have been delivered in the course of the last ten years ? 
 — how many meetings have been held ? — how many 
 patriots, philanthropists, reformers, have opened their 
 mouths in public assembHes, to the astonishment of a 
 large number of their countrymen? That is not the sort 
 of thing we want. I wish that every individual would 
 apply his heart to the great work of reformation. You 
 cannot forget yourself, — I shall not allow any individual 
 to forget himself, to lose himself in a vast gigantic scheme 
 of national reformation. I do not want any of you to 
 treat us to mere empty platitudes, — to those common- 
 places of patriotism and philanthropy which have been 
 already reiterated in a thousand forms to a disgusting 
 extent. If any reformer wishes to make a public appear- 
 ance, let him be true to his heart, let him say only that 
 which he feels and believes. He is not called upon 
 to make a public display of anything which he does 
 not possess. It is the custom of many of our fellow- 
 countrymen to be ever hatching gigantic schemes of 
 refonnation, — and what is the object they have in view? 
 Simply to postpone the evil day — for so they con- 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 223 
 
 sider it — of actual work. They always waste present 
 time in empty discussion, and leave action in the womb 
 of an uncertain futurity which never comes so long as 
 they live. And then what do they do ? They bequeath 
 a legacy, a cursed legacy of hypocrisy and inconsistency 
 to their children and their children's children. (Applause.) 
 Dear is that father, blessed is that father, who is found 
 to leave large estates as an inheritance for the son to 
 enjoy ; but what do you think of that father, that en- 
 lightened father, that patriotic father, who leaves for his 
 children and children's children a cursed legacy, — namely, 
 an example of dishonesty, of unconscientiousness, of 
 hypocrisy, and of cowardice ? Is it in this way that you 
 think India will ever improve ? Wait till doomsday 
 and you will find the time has never come ! Wait, 
 like the little boy who said — let the waters of the river 
 get dry, and then I shall cross over ! Wait till eternity, 
 — the waters will 7iot get dry, and you will never get 
 over the other side of the river. But if you feel the 
 matter seriously, I tell you the time has come for us to 
 unite and begin the great work. What is it that has 
 brought so many of my brethren in Bombay around 
 me ? Who am I that you should come to hear me ? 
 How am I — a Bengalee — related to you? The vast 
 majority of you cannot but feel that I am not a foreigner, 
 but a fellow-countryman, and that the thing I talk 
 of at present is a matter of common importance and 
 
224 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 interest to us all. Your sympathies are linked to the 
 sympathies of my heart, — you are members of the same 
 society of which I am a member, — and because you 
 have come here to show your sympathy with me in the 
 cause of our common country's welfare, I think this 
 assembly is a guarantee of some progress for Bombay — 
 for all India, — a pillar upon which we might rear up 
 hopes of the future of our great country. I humbly 
 thank you that you have come and assembled together 
 in compliance with my humble invitation, and I humbly 
 thank Him who has gathered us together this evening. 
 I hope and trust that we, natives of this country, ^vill 
 always feel that though Hinduism has created sects and 
 castes and subdivisions amongst us, yet in the eye of the 
 great Father there are no such distinctions; that not 
 only Hindus of all shades and castes, but even Parsees, 
 and Mahomedans, and Europeans are all children of the 
 same Father, and therefore, that any truth spoken by 
 any one of us must necessarily find a response in the 
 hearts of all others. (Loud applause.) That is my belief, 
 and therefore have I come here. I thought and felt that 
 you were my brethren, — and that if I were to speak in 
 the language of brotherly love of the great truths which 
 affect our spiritual interests — the spiritual interests of 
 us all — I would be sure to find a response ; and that if 
 you were really serious in your profession, and felt, as 
 true members of the native community, the stupendous 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. ii^ 
 
 importance of this question of the regeneration of your 
 great country, each of you would act for himself in his 
 own humble way. (Applause.) Such thoughts and feel- 
 ings alone actuated me to come to you ; and upon these 
 are all my appeals to you based. You think, perhaps, 
 I have come to make you converts to the Brahmo So- 
 ma]. Well, what is this Brahmo Somaj ? If I do allude 
 to it now, I shall do so not to explain its doctrines, but 
 simply to point out what has actually been done in anothe 
 part of this country in the matter of national reforma- 
 tion, so that you may draw practical lessons from it for 
 your own encouragement and guidance in this place. 
 The principles of reform I have advocated are the prin- 
 ciples of the Brahmo Somaj in Bengal. There, the 
 movement has already been placed upon firm foundations, 
 and it has also made wonderful progress. There thou- 
 sands of men and a large number of families have already 
 joined the Brahmo Somaj, — and many of them not only 
 in theory believe the principles of ^Monotheism, but try to 
 carry them out in all the departments of their lives with 
 consistency and heroism, and in spite of persecution and 
 sufferings. God be thanked that such a state of things 
 we have lived to see ! Many a reformer who has toiled 
 within the last thirty years has failed ; many a statesman, 
 also, who has laboured most nobly has failed ; many a 
 great scheme of material aggrandisement, too, has failed 
 in spite of vast resources of wealth, intelligence, and 
 
 Q 
 
226 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 power ; — and yet this fact remains for all India to look 
 on, that a few humble children of God, who had only the 
 sincerity and the boldness to come forward and declare 
 their allegiance to the True God, and place their prayerful 
 trust in Him, have achieved wonderful triumphs in the 
 religious and social advancement of India. They are 
 mostly poor, and have not received the best education ; 
 they are not in the high places of society, and possess 
 little or no social influence ; and many are surrounded 
 by the trials and disadvantages of excommunication ; — 
 but they have God on their side. His powerful hand 
 has sustained their hearts in all these trials, and crowned 
 their efforts with success in the face of earthly opposition 
 and discouragement. Such a thing is quite possible 
 here and in Madras. I have told the same things, which 
 I have now told you, to my brethren in Bengal, in the 
 North-Western Provinces, in the Punjab, in Madras, and 
 in the Central Provinces recently ; when I last addressed 
 you in this place I sought to enforce the same principles ; 
 and indeed I look hopefully forward to the day when all 
 the educated natives of this country will combine together 
 to show by their actions what enlightenment there is in 
 them. Make a small beginning. Let there be a dozen men 
 in Bombay, a dozen in Madras, and a dozen in the Pun- 
 jab, and we shall form the nucleus of a general confedera- 
 tion — one caste for all the educated natives of India, — 
 and then we shall gradually take in all other classes of 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 227 
 
 the native communities, and unite in a vast and mighty 
 confederation. And who knows that the name of that 
 God whom we are now glorifying in the To\\ti Hall of 
 Bombay will not one day resound on the shores of 
 Madras — on the lowlands of Bengal — up in the Punjab 
 — and in the Central Provinces? Who can say that, 
 though now with a heart full of heaviness we may con- 
 template the position of our country, and deplore the 
 fact that the God in whom we believe is so little known, 
 the day will never dawn upon this benighted country 
 when our hearts will be vivified and reanimated, when 
 all the tears of our eyes will be wiped off, by God's pro- 
 vidence, so full of mercy, so abounding in loving-kind- 
 ness? Who can say that all the dismembered com- 
 munities of the natives of this country shall not one day 
 be consolidated into one vast social organization ? — when 
 every husband and wife therein shall glorify God, — when 
 every brother and every sister therein shall combine to 
 worship the True God ; — when all partitions will be pulled 
 down, and there will be but one large family ? And who 
 can say that India, thus regenerated, will not shake hands 
 with England regenerated — with Europe regenerated — 
 with America regenerated ? Can you say that the time 
 will not come ? — that all this is but a dream and vision ? 
 I most profoundly and devoutly hope and pray that the 
 day will come when India's sufferings and distresses will 
 be brought to an end, — that Providence will smile over 
 
2 28 RELIGIOUS AND 
 
 our country as Providence has smiled over other coun- 
 tries. Long, too long, has India suffered ; and if there 
 is any drop, any little quantity, of what is called the 
 milkiness of human nature within you, pray, brethren, 
 feel the weight of India's suffering. Methinks a hundred 
 and eighty millions of our countr}anen and countrywomen 
 are weeping bitterly all around us, saying and asking — as 
 well they may say and ask — " Oh, ye educated natives of 
 India, what have ye done for us ? — Oh, ye who have 
 received medals and diplomas and prizes in Government 
 schools and colleges — Oh, ye who boast of enlighten- 
 ment — Oh, ye who sit in the high places of fortune, and 
 enjoy fortune's smiles — Oh, ye who have wealth and 
 intelligence, vigour and enlightenment, influence and 
 social position, — what have ye done for us?" Respond* 
 to the cry of suffering India if you can ! (Loud applause.) 
 Let me see that your hearts are not made of impenetrable 
 stuff, — that you are quite susceptible to the influences of 
 pity, humanity, and benevolence. Oh, may God open 
 up the flood-gates of true faith and true patriotism in 
 your hearts, from which shall flow streams of noble deeds, 
 streams of pure aspirations, streams of sustained and 
 powerful mutual sympathy, which shall go on towards 
 the East and towards the West, towards the North and 
 towards the South, fertilizing the minds and the souls of 
 the Indian community, and producing in the end a rich 
 harvest of spiritual prosperity, social prosperity, and 
 
SOCIAL REFORMATION. 229 
 
 material prosperity ! (Loud and prolonged applause, 
 amid which the lecturer resumed his seat.) 
 
 Mr. Nowrojee Fordoonjee, Secretary to the Bombay 
 Association, suggested a vote of thanks to the lecturer 
 for his eloquent and excellent discourse. (Applause.) 
 The merits of this reformer (said Mr. Nowrojee) — and a 
 true reformer he appeared to be — were so self-evident 
 that it was unnecessary to add another word in proposing 
 this vote of thanks. 
 
 After manifesting its approbation of this suggestion the 
 assembly broke up. 
 
PRAYER. 
 
 A Sermon preached at the Prdrthand Somaj\ Bombay, 
 March' 26, 1868. 
 
HAVING explained the doctrine of faith, I have 
 to present before you this evening our doctrine 
 of prayer. It appears to me that, in the natural order of 
 man's spiritual progress, prayer follows, and in fact is 
 inseparable from faith. The first step that a man takes 
 in religious progress is faith in God. The next step he 
 takes is prayer or worship of God. To acknowledge 
 God through faith and belief is certainly inseparable 
 from the w^orship of that God. The very relation in 
 which we stand to God makes it absolutely necessary 
 and imperative that we should offer our homage to Him. 
 What is the relation in which we stand to God ? What 
 is the knowledge we have of God and of our relation to 
 Him ? He stands before us as the Supreme Ruler of 
 the universe — the Infinite Moral Governor of all man- 
 kind. This very relation naturally and spontaneously 
 excites our homage. Such a relation demands that we 
 should give to God the tribute of our adoration and 
 homage. So in regard to earthly sovereigns. As soon 
 as we admit a certain power upon earth to be our ruling 
 power, so soon both the body and the mind readily 
 
23 + 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 unite to make an exhibition of loyalty to such a ruling 
 power. If God, then, be the Supreme Ruling Power, — 
 the Highest Moral Governor of the universe, — the body, 
 the mind, and the soul must naturally and instinctively 
 bow down in order to do honour and pay homage to 
 such a Governor. Homage is a duty, the very first duty 
 which we owe to God as the Ruler of the universe. We 
 cannot do without it, — we cannot dispense with it, — unless 
 we destroy the very relation in which we stand to God. 
 Worship, then, is natural, and history proves it to be 
 natural. Wherever men have acknowledged God as the 
 Creator and the Ruler of the universe, there invariably 
 we find some kind of worship enjoined and followed as a 
 regular ceremony — as a daily duty. That worship may 
 be mixed up with idolatry, — there may be much that is 
 condemnable in such worship, — but still worship there 
 must be where there is recognition of God, as homage 
 there must be where there is recognition of an earthly 
 sovereign. Worship — corresponding to the Sanskrit 
 word Updsaiid — is the more comprehensive word, which 
 involves several elements of which prayer {PrdrtJiafia) is 
 only one ; but the word " prayer " has been used both in 
 the comprehensive sense of worship, and also in the par- 
 ticular exclusive sense of spiritual begging. I have taken 
 it first in the comprehensive sense, namely, worship. 
 Every believer in God is bound to worship God ; and 
 history tells us that every believer in God has worshipped 
 
PR AVER. 235 
 
 God in some form or other. But there are some who 
 rest satisfied with this general worship of God, — at least 
 to it they have no objection to offer; but as regards 
 prayer in its narrow and stricter sense they have objec- 
 tion to it. They would not have recourse to it, — they 
 would even go the length of declaring it to be unreason- 
 able, absurd, and even injurious. 
 
 Worship comprises three elements — adoration, grati- 
 tude, and prayer. By adoration we mean simply ascrib- 
 ing glory and doing homage to God's holiness. The 
 more we are impressed with His righteousness and 
 purity, the more we adore Him. So His infinite mercy 
 naturally awakens in us sentiments of gratitude, and leads 
 us to offer thanksgivings for the numerous blessings 
 He vouchsafes unto us. You will no doubt admit that 
 so far as God is great and holy, we must acknowledge 
 His greatness and adore His holiness ; and that so far as 
 He is kind and merciful, and plenteous in loving-kind- 
 ness, so far must we acknowledge all the benefits, 
 advantages, and pleasures He has conferred upon us, 
 and does daily confer upon us, with most fervent and 
 sincere gratitude. But the subject upon which I am 
 about to enter is one which seems to admit of, as it has 
 often given rise to, discussions, doubts, and objections. 
 To my mind, however, superior to these two elements of 
 worship is the third element — namely, prayer. The first 
 two are duties^ — adoration and gratitude, — but the last is 
 
236 PRAYER. 
 
 a necessity. Without it I cannot live, — without it I cannot 
 grow in spiritual life, — without it all my hopes of spiritual 
 progress would be in a moment blasted, — without it, life 
 and death would be to me identical. It is my duty to 
 magnify God, and my duty to offer my gratitude to God, 
 but it is indispensably necessary for my spiritual life that 
 I should prostrate and humble myself down to the dust, 
 and beg and beseech my God to give me that aid which 
 is essential to the success of all my spiritual endeavours 
 — which is essential to the attainment of salvation here 
 and hereafter. It is this great point which it is my 
 desire to impress upon you this evening. 
 
 The experience of all mankind ever since man was 
 bom, down to the present time, has testified that unaided 
 human power is not enough to overcome evil, to guard 
 the soul against sin. We feel this daily — in our hourly 
 struggles ^\dth the temptations of the world we feel this. 
 It is not a matter which can be argued out by any appeal 
 to the authority of books or to the deductions of logic. 
 No 3 I would appeal to your experiences, and ask you 
 whether you have spiritual nerve enough ^vithin you to 
 guard yourselves against every sin, — not one sin or two 
 sins, not five varieties of sin, — but every manner and kind 
 of sin. Your natural temperament and the peculiar 
 advantages of your social position or education or age 
 may put you beyond particular temptations : you may 
 be above theft and murder, and other similar crimes; 
 
PRAYER. 237 
 
 but have you conquered all the passions and lusts of the 
 flesh, — are you liable to no sin whatever ? I say there is 
 not a man of flesh and blood that breathes on earth who 
 can triumphantly say, " Here am I \ come all manner of 
 sin and temptation, and my heart is proof against all 
 attacks." The fact is, God's aid is absolutely necessary 
 — the eyes must be hfted up, and we must invoke the 
 blessings of that Divine Father without whose aid man 
 cannot advance one single step in the path of reHgious 
 progress. 
 
 Ask the rude rustic why he prays every day of his life. 
 He would be at a loss to determine what to say in 
 reply. All that such an untutored man would say would 
 be this — I know not why I pray, but this I can say, I 
 cannot do without prayer ; every day there are so many 
 sins threatening to devour me, that only for the purpose 
 of self-defence, only to save my soul, I must humble 
 myself down and offer my prayer to God. If the rude 
 rustic has no other explanation of prayer, neither has the 
 wise man. I can give you no better explanation of 
 the fact how I have learned to pray, and why I am in the 
 habit of offering prayer daily to my God. If I could do 
 without it, this very moment I would leave off the habit. 
 If I had never felt the necessity of prayer myself, I would 
 never have been engaged in it, even if it were insisted 
 upon by teachers or books ; — but I have found it neces- 
 sar}^ When it pleased my merciful God to cause the 
 
238 PRAYER. 
 
 light of religion to dawn upon my heart, — allow me to 
 mention an incident from the earliest chapter of my 
 religious history, — when through His grace my eyes were 
 first opened to the importance of religion, and the first 
 struggles for emancipation from sin began to agitate my 
 heart, then I felt the need of prayer. I found my heart 
 was full of darkness, and was under the deadly influence 
 of all the passions of the flesh, the allurements of the 
 world, the power of evil, the power of fame, and of lust, 
 and of ambition, and of covetousness, and of worldliness. 
 Against these multitudinous enemies I, a poor sinner, 
 could not possibly stand. Feeble in body, feebler in 
 mind, feebler still in spirit, how could I stand in the face 
 of enemies so awful, so formidable, and so numerous. as 
 these — enemies outside and enemies within, contending 
 for mastery over my soul day and night ? What could 
 I do in circumstances such as these ? I waited not for 
 the revelation of any particular book or the teachings of 
 any particular prophet. In deep agony I consulted my 
 soul, and my soul said, in language exceedingly simple 
 and impressive — " Pray, and pray, if you want salvation. 
 None but God can save sinners." And then my proud 
 and arrogant mind was humbled down, and with it was 
 humbled down my head ; my heart, which had been 
 eaten up with conceit, and arrogance, and self-sufliciency, 
 found that there was nothing in it which could withstand 
 the awful assaults of temptations, and in utter helpless- 
 
PRAYER. .239 
 
 ness I threw myself at my Father's feet. All sides of 
 the horizon were dark ; light suddenly burst forth in one 
 direction, and it appeared as if the word " Prayer " was 
 written in golden letters on the gate of the kingdom of 
 God — showing that none entereth God's kingdom except 
 he pass through the gate of prayer — none conquereth sin 
 and temptation unless he humbly, earnestly, and fer- 
 vently pray. Without wavering or hesitation, therefore, I 
 at once began to pray to my God. The first day— a 
 blessed day it was — I prayed in the morning and in the 
 night, secretly and humbly. No brother helped me 
 with counsel or encouragement. Nay, I had to conceal 
 the matter from the knowledge of my friends and 
 relatives, lest they should scoff at me. I was sure that 
 as soon as they came to know of it, they would ridicule 
 me and scoff at me, and try to dissuade me, if possible, 
 from such a noble and godly habit; and lest such 
 circumstances should happen, I kept the matter a great 
 secret. Day after day I kept on praying, and in the 
 course, I assure you, of a few days, I found as it were 
 a flood of light entering into the inmost recesses of my 
 heart and dissipating the darkness of my soul, the dark- 
 ness of death. Oh, it was cheering moonlight streaming 
 through overhanging clouds of hideous sin ! Then I 
 felt great relief, unspeakable comfort. I also felt that 
 I could eat and drink with pleasure. Then I found rest 
 on my bed, and then I found comfort in the company of 
 
240 PRAYER. 
 
 friends. For I can assure you there was a time in my 
 life when 1 had almost given up mirth and good-humour 
 and cheerfulness, and amusements of all kinds. I felt 
 that the world was dark because my heart was full of 
 darkness ; and had not my gracious and beneficent God 
 revealed to me just at that time this great gospel of 
 salvation, namely, prayer, I cannot think where I would 
 have been to-night. You would not have seen me in 
 Bombay addressing you from this pulpit.— Oh, it is too 
 much for my feelings to bear — it overpowers me when it 
 enters my mind — the thought where I would have been 
 to-night if God had not taught me to pray ! — Prayer, to 
 me, was the beginning of salvation. It led me and 
 helped me in inquiries after truth; it brought me into 
 contact with theological works and pious men; — and 
 through prayer all the other appliances and resources so 
 very necessary for spiritual progress were placed at my 
 disposal by the very same God who had led me thus far. 
 I availed myself of these, and humbly went on gro^ving 
 in grace, in purity. Brethren, what I felt to be true in 
 my case I say is true in the case of every man. I assure 
 you it is prayer which ought to be considered as the 
 beginning of religious hfe — the key to the kingdom of 
 God. Have that, and you have in your hand the 
 means of unlocking the treasures of divine grace. Is it 
 saving knowledge you want ? — come and pray ; is there 
 a doubt you want to dispel? — come and pray; is it a 
 
PR A FEE. 241 
 
 weakness you wish to remove ? — come and pray ; is it 
 power you want ? — come and pray ; is it sin you wish to 
 give up ? — come and pray ; is it holiness you want ? — 
 come and pray. One precept have I given to all in- 
 quirers after truth that have called on me, and whoso 
 Cometh to me in future for ad\ice shall find the same 
 answer — " Pray -without ceasing," as was said in days 
 gone by. I ^\ill not ask you to pray for riches, fam^e, 
 bodily comfort, or temporal benefits. I am opposed to 
 that doctrine. I recommend prayer for spiritual blessings 
 only,— for spiritual knowledge, for spiritual power, and 
 for spiritual hoHness. For these three things pray. If 
 you don't like to take my word on trust, go home and 
 try the experiment, and if on the fourth day of your trial 
 you find your experiences give the lie to my statement, I 
 shall retract everything I have said. You have as little , 
 right to say sugar is bitter before tasting it as you have 
 to deny the efficacy of prayer before you have personally 
 tried its uses. Rest assured every prayer for spiritual 
 blessings, if offered \\ith sincerity and earnestness, will be 
 granted by the INIerciful God. It has been beautifully 
 said — and it is a law of the moral world as unchangeable 
 as physical laws, — " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, 
 and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 
 you : for every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that 
 seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
 opened." This is an emphatic assurance of God's 
 
 R 
 
242 PRAYER. 
 
 mercy ; and in your own experiences you will find how 
 strictly it is fulfilled in every case. But in order that 
 you may receive what you pray for, you must pray with 
 sincerity, with your whole heart. " Posture is not prayer, 
 words are not wishes :" true prayer is a hungering and 
 thirsting of the heart. It may not express itself in 
 words, it may not observe outward forms, but it is not 
 the less real and effective if it is only a wish of the heart. 
 Language does not constitute, but only expresses and 
 represents prayer, which is in its essence purely spiritual, 
 and is heard in secret by God. Let not your thoughts 
 wander about, let there be no discord of contending and 
 unruly inclinations ; when the heart prays, all its thoughts 
 and feelings and wishes must be attuned to the harmony 
 of quiet communion with God, and then only can the 
 blessings sought be reafized. It is also necessary that 
 you should not use indefinite generalities in prayer. Do 
 not use the vague commonplaces of formal devotion, 
 such as—" God, have mercy on me !" " Lord_, save me 
 from sin !" But let your prayers indicate special wants 
 to be supplied, special sins to be sacrificed, special 
 blessings needed. You should avoid empty words, and 
 feel deeply what it is that you want in particular before 
 you address your prayers to God. Freely confess your 
 sins before Him, and hide them not under a cloak of 
 smooth but vague words ; lay your finger on the par- 
 ticular blots in your character you wish to obliterate; 
 
PRAYER. 243 
 
 show the Great Physician the special malady from which 
 you seek deliverance, and He ^vill heal it. Above all, 
 my friends, you ought to remember what I have already 
 said about sincerity. You must be sincerely and really 
 anxious to give up sin and become pure and holy. If 
 you harbour in your hearts a secret ^^^sh to continue in 
 your sins and wicked enjoyments, your prayers will be 
 all mockery and hypocrisy, and ^^•ill surely recoil upon 
 you unanswered. In illustration of this I shall read to 
 you the King's soliloquy in Scene III., Act III. of 
 Shakespeare's Hamlet^ as it points out in a most lively 
 and impressive manner that the man who prays God for 
 forgiveness, without really ^^^shing to get rid of the sin 
 which he asks to be forgiven, \vill find his prayers lost in 
 the air : — 
 
 '* O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven ; 
 It hath the primal eldest curse upon't, 
 A brother's murder ! — Pray can I not, 
 Though inclination be as sharp as will ; 
 My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent ; 
 And, like a man to double business bound, 
 I stand in pause where I shall first begin, 
 And both neglect. What if this cursed hand 
 Were thicker than itself w-ith brother's blood ? 
 Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens 
 To wash it white as snoAV^.' "WTiereto serves mercy, 
 But to confront the visage of offence .? 
 And what's in prayer, but this twofold force, — 
 To be forestalled, ere we come to fall, 
 Or pardon'd, being down ? Then I'll look up ; 
 
244 PRAYER. 
 
 My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer 
 
 Can serve my turn ? Forgive me my foul murder ! — 
 
 That cannot be ; since I am still possess'd 
 
 Of those effects for which I did the murder, 
 
 My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. 
 
 May one be pardon'd, and retain the offence ? 
 
 In the corrupted currents of this world, 
 
 Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice; 
 
 And oft 'tis seen, the wicked prize itself 
 
 Buys out the law : But 'tis not so above : 
 
 There is no shuffling, there the action lies 
 
 In his true nature ; and we ourselves compell'd, 
 
 Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults, 
 
 To give in evidence. What then .'* what rests ? 
 
 Try what repentance can : What can it not } 
 
 Yet what can it, when one cannot repent } 
 
 O wretched state ! O bosom, black as death ! 
 
 O limed soul ; that struggling to be free, 
 
 Art more engaged ! Help, angels, make assay ! 
 
 Bow, stubborn knees ! and, heart, with strings of steel 
 
 Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe ; 
 
 All may be well ! " 
 
 He then kneels down and tries to pray; but his struggles 
 and endeavours prove unsuccessful, and in utter despair 
 he at last cries out : — 
 
 " My words fly up, my thoughts remain below ; 
 Words without thoughts never to heaven go." 
 
 Besides offering individual prayers in solitude, regularly 
 every day, you should try to have family prayers if 
 possible. Husband and wife, brother and sister, parents 
 and children, should gather round their God and worship 
 
PRAYER. 24.5 
 
 Him as the God of their family. Thirdly, there must be 
 congregational prayers in public meetings, like your 
 Prarthana Somaj, in which all of us must unite as 
 brethren to worship our common Father. Thus the 
 spirit of true prayer will spread from individuals to 
 families, and from families to communities ; and thus 
 through prayer will individuals, families, and the whole 
 Indian nation be purified and regenerated. 
 
 Never shall India be regenerated without prayer. 
 That is a thing with my whole heart I believe, and if any 
 of you individually were to come and ask me whether 
 you could ever be saved with your knowledge, with your 
 deeds, with your reform movements, I would say at once, 
 no such thing will save you. Therefore I would say to 
 you individually and collectively — I would say to all 
 Indian men and women — pray, pray from to-morrow. 
 And what excuse can you have for not beginning to pray 
 from to-morrow ? Just after you rise from your bed, why 
 should you not remember what a brother has told you this 
 evening — told you for your own sake — for Bombay's sake 
 — for your own family's sake — your children's children'.s 
 sake ? Do begin to pray from to-morrow. Set aside your 
 worldly concerns for five minutes at least. If you cannot 
 pray without some direction, I ask you to use this little 
 book for the present ["Theist's Prayer-Book"], prepared 
 by a friend and brother of yours. Use one of these 
 prayers at a time, one every day. Parsees, Hindus, 
 
246 PRAYER. 
 
 brethren of all castes, races, and tribes, I beg you all to 
 rio this. I will go down on my knees, if necessary, only 
 to beseech you to pray to God. May God help you and 
 bless you ! 
 
A VOICE FROM THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 A Missionary Leajlet written at Simla, September, 1868. 
 
SONS and Daughters of India, dearly beloved 
 brethren, — Awake, arise, the blessed morning of 
 your redemption is come. The Great God, our Merciful 
 Father, standeth at your doors \\ith the treasures of 
 redeeming grace in His hand, and summoneth you to 
 rise. Delay not then, but obey the holy call instantly. 
 Rise from your death-like sleep ; let your ears hear the 
 joyful sound of salvation; let your eyes drink the sweet 
 light of the new day ; let your lips praise the Redeemer's 
 name ; let your hands ser\'e His holy feet. Long, too 
 long, have you slept on the bed of idolatr}- and corrup- 
 tion ; long have you borne the oppressions and cruelties 
 of a heartless hierarchy, with hands and feet enchained 
 in the gloomy prison-cell of superstition. Long have 
 you suffered from acute moral diseases and spiritual 
 poverty. The cup of your sufferings is brimful. Your 
 condition is truly pitiable. It draws tears from human 
 eyes. And shall Infinite Mercy look on \nth indifference 
 and apathy ? Xo, it cannot be. Your wailings and 
 lamentations have penetrated the vaults of heaven, and 
 reached the Father's ears, and He hath hastened to 
 
250 A VOICE FROM THE HIMALAFAS, 
 
 relieve and rescue those that have cried unto Him. 
 Beloved India, thy night of darkness and sorrow is over. 
 Behold, the angel of Truth shines in yonder east with 
 light and liberty in her wings. She will set thee free, 
 and lead thee into the house of God. 
 
 Already some have come forward in response to the 
 Father's call, and gathered themselves under the holy 
 banners of Truth. Groaning under the weight of sin, 
 weak, famished, and miserable, they have come, eagerly 
 and impatiently, to seek salvation. Behold, they are 
 united in the worship of their Father in that True 
 Church — the Theistic Church of India ; with faith and 
 humility they are constantly praying unto the Lord, and 
 are gathering righteousness through His grace. Dear 
 brethren, join that small band of Theists and enter that 
 True Church ; ye shall find peace everlasting. Confess 
 your sins, abandon pride and be humble, and pray 
 earnestly and unceasingly unto God. Accept the Theist's 
 simple creed, and adopt the Theist's humble prayers. 
 Put your fervent faith and trust in the One True God, 
 who is infinite in mercy and holiness, and believe that 
 by praying unto Him and serving Him, ye shall attain 
 purity and peace, here and hereafter. Pray in this 
 wise : — " Lord, have mercy on this poor sinner, and 
 deliver me from all manner of sin, and grant unto me 
 holiness and peace for thy mercy's sake.'^ Brethren, 
 such faith and prayer will save you. You may be very 
 
A VOICE FROM THE HIMALAYAS. 251 
 
 sinful, vety wicked ; yet the Lord will deliver you if you 
 place your humble reliance upon Him. There is mercy 
 enough in heaven for even the meanest and most de- 
 graded. Our Father is plenteous in mercy and lo\ang- 
 kindness. Though you have repeatedly revolted against 
 His authority, and returned ingratitude for His kindness, 
 He is still your kind Father. Though you have forsaken 
 Him, He never forsaketh you. On the contrary. He is 
 eager to receive back the " prodigal son." The good 
 Shepherd seeketh the lost sheep, and rejoiceth when it is 
 found. Despair not then, but run to such a loving 
 Father, and fall at His feet \ He wall raise you. Repent, 
 and He will make you rejoice. Poor houseless brethren, 
 do not wander about any longer in the dark and perilous 
 paths of the world, but hearing the glad tidings of your 
 Father's mercy, hasten at once to the house He has built 
 for you, where He has reserved riches and treasures un- 
 speakable for your enjoyment. There 'ye shall stand 
 round His altar, and He shall dispense unto each of His 
 children, wdth His own hand, the blessings of salvation. 
 There He shall feed you \vith the bread of life, clothe 
 you with righteousness, and enrich and gladden you 
 abundantly. 
 
 Come, then, unto my Father, all ye sinful and sorrowing 
 countrymen and countrywomen. I, a fellow-sinner, your 
 humble brother and servant, beg you to come to my 
 Good Father's house. On my knees I beseech you to 
 
252 A VOICE FROM THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 come, O my brothers and sisters. Come from the utter- 
 most parts of the country, from the east, west, north, and 
 south ; come all — rich and poor, learned and illiterate, 
 young and old, men and women, — all ye who are heavy 
 laden with sin and sorrow; come humbly and prayer- 
 fully to the Father's mansions of peace. The poor shall 
 become rich, the weak shall become strong, the blind 
 shall have eyes, the dumb shall speak, the dead shall Hve 
 again through His redeeming mercy. 
 
 Sing the Father's mercy, all ye men and women of 
 India. Sing, mountains and hills, rivers and streams, 
 forests and plains, cities and villages. Ye winds of 
 heaven, carry the message of His redeeming mercy in all 
 directions. May He bless my humble Voice, and stir up 
 a response in every heart ! Blessed be the Holy and 
 Merciful God for ever ! 
 
TRUE FAITH. 
 
Exhortation. 
 
 OYE who profess to be God's followers, establish 
 your hearts in faith, lest in the day of trial ye 
 be found wanting. 
 
 For temptations abound in the path of life, and storms 
 and perils there are many, and whoso encountereth them 
 without faith shall surely fall. 
 
 Neither your boasted wisdom nor goodness nor piety 
 shall stand in the day of trial ; these shall crumble even 
 at the first shock. 
 
 For faith is the foundation whereupon these must 
 stand ; and if faith be wanting, shall not the house fall ? 
 
 Therefore build your life on the rock of True Faith, 
 and though roaring surges beat against it, it shall not 
 give way. 
 
 Faith in God. 
 
 Faith is direct vision ; it beholdeth God, and it be- 
 holdeth immortality. 
 
 It is no dogma of books, no tradition of venerable 
 antiquity. 
 
2 56 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 It relieth upon no evidence but the eyesight, and will 
 have no mediation. 
 
 It neither borroweth an idea of God from metaphysics, 
 nor a narrative of God from history. 
 
 It doth not bow its neck to a logical or historical deity. 
 
 It adoreth the ever-living and ever-present Reality. 
 
 The God of faith is the sublime I AM. 
 
 In time He is always now, in space always here. 
 
 Hence faith has a short creed which owns no pilgrim- 
 age to distant age or clime, for nearer than aught can be 
 is God the immanent Spirit. 
 
 As outwardly in all objects, so inwardly in the recesses 
 of the heart, faith beholdeth the Living God. 
 
 The eyes close, and the inward kingdom revealeth 
 God. 
 
 There in ineffable beauty He shineth as the Life of 
 life : the dependent soul, quickened by mysterious anima- 
 tion, worshippeth Him and entereth into joyful commu- 
 nion with Him. 
 
 The eyes open, and all objects in external nature 
 reveal the resplendent Spirit and breathe His presence. 
 
 East, west, north, and south, He filleth all space. 
 
 The universe is God's vast cathedral, where nature, 
 both quick and inanimate, chanteth hymns unto His 
 glory in solemn music. 
 
 The soul roused by sympathy joineth the ser\'ice and 
 swelleth the chorus. 
 
TRUE FAITH, 257 
 
 Thus, within and without, faith liveth always in the 
 midst of blazing fire, the fire of God's presence. 
 
 It is a presence to be seen and felt, not learned or re- 
 membered. 
 
 It is a presence not to be put by, so pervading, so 
 interwoven with life and nature. 
 
 Verily Divine presence hath electricity, it quickeneth 
 the heart and the nerves, and maketh the very hairs of 
 the body stand erect. 
 
 Hence true worship is no ceremony or form in honour 
 of a dead or distant deity, but the living homage of the 
 soul to the living and near God. 
 
 But the near is dear by nature's law. 
 
 And God is both living and loving. 
 
 Hence faith holds living and loving communion with 
 Him who is dearer than life. 
 
 It estabhsheth a personal relation, even that between 
 the son and the father. 
 
 It buildeth a domestic altar in the heart for the Author 
 of the universe, and saith — My God, My Father. 
 
 The Thou of its prayers is as much a reality perceived 
 by the spiritual eye as a personal God held in personal 
 attachment. 
 
 The vividness of perception is equal to the warmth of 
 the heart, for in faith, knowledge and love, belief and 
 trust, are one. 
 
258 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 Faith in Immortality. 
 
 Faith liveth in anticipation. 
 
 The future is its dweUing-house. 
 
 It fixes the foundations of life on the reaUties of the 
 next world and eternity, not on the vanities of this world 
 and time. 
 
 Verily the world is a toyshop and time a running 
 stream, and true wisdom shuns both. 
 
 The fool delighteth in toys, and doth revel in vanities, 
 but faith is not deceived thereby \ it seeketh substance 
 and reality. 
 
 It knoweth well that all is vanity and hollo wness here, 
 and never selleth its desires, hopes, and affections to 
 temporal objects. 
 
 It is above all the fleeting phenomena of the world, 
 above its joys and sorrows. 
 
 Earthly afflictions cannot torment it, nor can earthly 
 sorceries fascinate it, for it is dead unto their in- 
 fluence. 
 
 Faith is a new creation. 
 
 It is the death of the flesh and the regeneration of the 
 spirit. 
 
 Hence it is dead to all the temptations and fears of 
 this world, and is alive unto God and eternity. 
 
 It is ever encompassed by the realities of eternity, it 
 firmly walketh on its solid ground, feedeth on its luxu- 
 
77?^^^^ FAITH. 259 
 
 riant harvests, and stretcheth its endless life on the lap 
 of the Everlasting Spirit. 
 
 It liveth in and unto the next world, and careth solely 
 for immortal life. 
 
 And so far as this little world is preparatory thereto, 
 it engageth the serious thought of faith. 
 
 Thus where others purchase toys and dance in giddy 
 merriment, faith gathereth discipline and provisions for 
 immortality. 
 
 Its heart is in the vast kingdom beyond the grave, 
 where it recognises its true home and its Father, and 
 feels comforted. 
 
 The next world is to it not an abstract conception, 
 but a scene of homely realities. 
 
 Therein it feels domestic interest, its sweet and blessed 
 home for ever. 
 
 How to render that home happy is all its care and aim. 
 
 To dwell for ever in that home under the guardianship 
 of Infinite Mercy, free from sin, far from suffering, and 
 secure against death, is its only hope and prayer. 
 
 Faith in the Moral Law. 
 
 WTien the heart is fixed on God and immortality, and 
 perceiveth its relation to both, it devoteth itself to the 
 one, and prepareth itself for the other. 
 
26o TRUE FAITH. 
 
 Thus faith ever striveth after righteousness, for right- 
 eousness is the true service of God and the provision of 
 immortality. 
 
 And as the law of righteousness is absolute and im- 
 mutable, even as the %\all of the Supreme Governor, 
 
 faith upholdeth it in its integrity and fulness. 
 
 In all that it thinks and says and does, it is pledged 
 to adhere to truth, all truth, and nothing but the truth. 
 
 And with the unswerving fidelity of a covenanter it 
 followeth in all circumstances that which is right, and 
 abjureth what is wrong. 
 
 It despiseth compromise and hateth fractional religion, 
 which divideth its service between God and Mammon. 
 
 It serveth God as its only Master. 
 
 It never justifieth evil, whether great or small 
 
 The least contact with iniquity is abomination and 
 defilement in its sight. 
 
 It loveth purity and holiness, and abhorreth every form 
 and manner of sin. 
 
 It strictly followeth in all things the high standard of 
 God's moral law, and layeth up purity and righteousness 
 with great care. 
 
 Power. 
 
 Faith conquereth weakness, want, and woe, for it 
 findeth in God manifold power, sustenance, and joy. 
 
TRUE FAITH. 261 
 
 It is the victory of the spirit over the flesh, of truth 
 over the world. 
 
 Faith counteth the thought of weakness wickedness, 
 and the language of weakness an abomination. 
 
 / cannot — faith never uttereth that odious phrase. 
 
 For betwixt the will and work it findeth the path 
 straight. 
 
 That it wilieth that it doth, and never doubteth suc- 
 cess. 
 
 Faith is a mighty giant whose nerves are of steel, and 
 whose eyes speak defiance. 
 
 It feareth no man, and despiseth the threats and inti- 
 midations of the mighty. 
 
 Sovereigns quail before it, and from crowned heads it 
 exacteth homage. 
 
 It prostrateth millions in open encounter, and planteth 
 God's banners before the cannon's flash. 
 
 It worketh wonders and achieveth impossibilities, and 
 the world in amazement doth say — What manner of man 
 is this who worketh these miracles ? 
 
 For faith is strong in the strength of the Almighty, and 
 hath invincible power. 
 
262 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 Resignation. 
 
 Faith is the promise of daily bread and its fulfilment. 
 
 Nature is its granary, and the world its storehouse of 
 provisions. 
 
 Its habitation is in the regions of content, and it 
 knoweth no want. 
 
 Where others cry for food it mocketh privation, and 
 enjoyeth life with confidence. 
 
 It taketh no thought of the morrow's bread, and 
 deemeth it scepticism to lay up provisions for the future. 
 
 For faith liveth in resignation, and hath absolute trust 
 in providence. 
 
 It dwelleth secure under the kind care of that God 
 who feedeth the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the 
 wilderness, and the fishes of the sea, and the trees which 
 do grow \vithout toil. 
 
 Confident and thoughtless even as they, faith careth 
 not for food or raiment. 
 
 And as they are cheerful and glad though nought be 
 in store, even so is faith, albeit penniless and ragged. 
 
 Joy. 
 
 Faith rejoiceth in the All-Blissful God, and findeth joy 
 immeasurable in His service. 
 
TRUE FAITH. 263 
 
 It is ever calm, and is not ruffled by the fluctuations 
 of fickle fortune. 
 
 It is the deep full ocean of peace, and doth never ebb. 
 
 Though midnight gloom surrounds it, it enjoyeth 
 within meridian sunshine. 
 
 With forbearance and resignation it blunteth the edge 
 of sorrow. 
 
 With hope and patience it converteth the bed of thorns 
 into the bed of roses. 
 
 It is beyond the reach of penur}^ for its riches are the 
 treasures of grace. 
 
 Even on death-bed it looketh bright and cheerful as an 
 angel, and besetting clouds do but add to its beauty and 
 glory. 
 
 Self-Sacrifice. 
 
 Faith is the surrender of self to God. 
 
 It thinketh not what it shall eat or drink, but how it 
 shall serve and glorify the Lord. 
 
 It sacrificeth self and the world on the altar of God, 
 that it miay say with wholeness of heart — I am Thine. 
 
 It selleth all it hath and followeth God, and reser^-eth 
 nought for self. 
 
 It dedicateth its whole life, heart and soul, mind and 
 body, unto Him, and saith — Not my will but Thy will be 
 done. 
 
264 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 It taketh no thought of joy or sorrow, and maketh 
 duty its only concern and the Divine will its sole aim. 
 
 But the maturity of faith is love, for love completeth 
 the union which faith beginneth. 
 
 Then duty and desire harmonize. 
 
 Then the soul saith — The Father and I are one. 
 
 Humility. 
 
 Faith has no merit in its own eyes. 
 
 It liveth more in the passivity of obedience than in the 
 activity of the will. 
 
 It acteth under extreme force of moral compulsion, 
 which enfeebleth the sense of will. 
 
 It delighteth in resignation, not egotism ; in prayer, not 
 self-sufficiency ; in the Master's glory, not its own. 
 
 Faith is but the instrument of God in good works, and 
 never ventures to think, / do. 
 
 Only the sins and shortcomings are its own. 
 
 God is glorified in its godliness, but self-convicted in 
 its failings. 
 
 So likewise all the glory and all the praise for good 
 works it invariably giveth unto the Lord. 
 
 But suffering and odium, tribulation and death, it 
 readily accepteth as its portion. 
 
 It boasteth not of the good that is done, but it feels 
 mortified for what is not done. 
 
TRUE FAITH. 265 
 
 It keepeth account only of its omissions and imperfec- 
 tions, its misdeeds and idleness. 
 
 Though it may do much good and bless untold nations 
 and generations, it knoweth well the light is not its own, 
 but belongeth to the Sun of Holiness. 
 
 Such is its mysterious dependence upon the Master 
 that humility is at once its criterion and its ornament. 
 
 By it faith is known, in it lies its beauty. 
 
 Wisdom. 
 
 Faith is true wisdom, which is noble and divine. 
 
 It loathes prudence, which is earthy and mean. 
 
 Prudence is the arithmetic of fools. 
 
 It weigheth consequences, counteth loss and gain, and 
 measureth utility, but hath no regard for truth. 
 
 And as the wind tosseth the dr}' leaf, so do fear and 
 shame lead the worldly wise hither and thither. 
 
 They have no wisdom of their own, and traffic in other 
 men's opinions, always using those in demand. 
 
 They are not their own selves, but other men's 
 selves. 
 
 Having no principle to guide them, they turn with the 
 wind and float along the tide. 
 
 A rude rustic is wiser than they, and a child can over- 
 turn the very foundations of their philosophy. 
 
266 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 Deluded men ! wise in their owii conceit, they are but 
 the slaves of fashion and popularity. 
 
 But faith never courteth popularity, nor doth it accom- 
 modate itself to fashion. 
 
 It is firm and unyielding, and is built on immovable 
 principles. 
 
 Its wisdom is the wisdom of truth, which never varies, 
 though fire should become as cold as ice and the sun 
 breathe darkness. 
 
 Faith has originality, freedom, and self-reliance, and 
 never deigneth to take lessons from the world. 
 
 It firmly walketh upon the counsels of conscience, 
 which are the revelations of God. 
 
 Progress. 
 
 Faith is perpetual progress heavenward. 
 
 It disdains the beaten track, it soars while others crawl. 
 
 It scorns the world's control, and defies its command 
 — Thus far shalt thou go. 
 
 God is its aim, it refuses to obey the law of limitation. 
 
 Progress is its life, to step is to die. 
 
 The highest form of goodness doth not satisfy it, 
 though it may contain the whole of the world's religion. 
 
 Above the highest it seeketh a higher still, and beneath 
 the deepest it seeketh a deeper still. 
 
TRUE FAITH. 267 
 
 Singularity. 
 
 Faith is singular and moveth in its own ways, which 
 are past finding out. 
 
 Geography cannot find its latitude and longitude. 
 
 Nor can arithmetic compute its age, nor history por- 
 tray its true life. 
 
 Philosophy hideth its face in shame after vainly striv- 
 ing to ascertain its why and wherefore. 
 
 Verily its actions are unintelligible to the world, and its 
 life is a deep mystery. 
 
 Hence it is charged with idiocy and madness. 
 
 Its enthusiasm is indeed madness in the eye of the 
 world, and all its movements are folly. 
 
 Faith is fool because it mocketh the idols which the 
 world doth gravely worship, and setteth equal value on 
 gold and straw. 
 
 And faith is mad because it forsaketh the ways of the 
 world, and with wild enthusiasm accompHsheth its pecu- 
 liar ideas and maketh much mischief. 
 
 It hath no respect for custom, and speaketh and acteth 
 outright as it thinketh. 
 
 It findeth honour in slander and joy in privation, and 
 it danceth in the midst of great tribulation. 
 
 It smileth where others weep, and it goeth into sack- 
 cloth and mourning where others exult. 
 
2 68 TRUE FAITH, 
 
 Faith has many eccentricities which the world must 
 needs deride. 
 
 But these eccentricities have their centre, which verily 
 is higher than any the world can see or conceive. 
 
 Faith dwelleth high in its own world, and is above all 
 earthly computations and sympathies. 
 
 And is known only to cognate spirits, who, of whatever 
 age or clime, live with it in that invisible world. 
 
 Persecution. 
 
 The progress of faith is to be gauged by its distance 
 from the world. 
 
 The more it advances the fewer its companions, the 
 smaller the circle of sympathy, and the more inveterate 
 the world's antagonism. 
 
 Persecution is inevitable, mild at first, but deadly in 
 the end. 
 
 It is the price due to the world for living above it. 
 
 Hence some laugh at it, others hate it, some revile it, 
 others denounce it. 
 
 The world cannot bear with it, and at last puts away 
 this living fire with dirt and death. 
 
 Ridicule is the seal wherewith the world marks its dis- 
 approbation of faith when it begins its mission. 
 
 As faith advances, the reprobate world waxes wrathful 
 
TRUE FAITH. 269 
 
 and malicious, charges it with arrogance and selfishness, 
 and condemns it as a dangerous impostor. 
 
 If faith still persists in its obstinate work, the world's 
 tribunal passes severer sentence. 
 
 Deadly tortures are inflicted, and behold the martyr of 
 faith glorified amid the blaze or on the cross ! 
 
 Thus ridicule and contempt, anger and hatred, slander 
 and reviling, coercion and torture, violence and death, 
 these are the unavoidable recompense of them that seek 
 the honour of living unto freedom and faith in this wicked 
 world. 
 
 Deification. 
 
 And yet some there are who through simplicity and 
 ignorance run to the other extreme. 
 
 They kneel do\\Ti and offer homage and worship to 
 faith, for they think it to be of God. 
 
 They idolize it, attribute to it all manner of super- 
 natural power, and adore it as God incarnate. 
 
 But the phenomena of persecution and deification are 
 essentially one, and betray the same ignorance. 
 
 Whether men crucify or deify, they only confess the 
 superhuman excellence of faith and their inability to 
 comprehend it. 
 
 The one is negative, the other is positive testimony. 
 
270 TRUE FAITH. 
 
 The one hateth away faith from the world, and thereby 
 acknowledgeth it is not earthly ; the other exalteth it to 
 the skies, and confesseth it is divine. 
 
 Resurrection. 
 
 The world cannot discern faith when it lies too near. 
 
 And it requireth due distance to lend clearness to the 
 sight. 
 
 Hence it is that the prophet who is hated and con- 
 demned at home is honoured abroad, and while the land 
 of his birth denies him, distant nations gratefully acknow- 
 ledge him as their own. 
 
 Or the world needeth a glass to rectify its vision, and 
 this death alone presents. 
 
 For through death faith is seen in truer colours, and 
 better understood. 
 
 Then the refraction through prejudice, envy, and igno- 
 rance is corrected. 
 
 Hence unto the prophet that leaveth the world loaded 
 with indignities a shrine of posthumous glory is built. 
 
 And thus it is that faith shineth more in resurrection 
 than in life. 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 " I will bless the Lord at all times : His praise shall continually be in my 
 mouth." — Psalm xxxiv. i. 
 
 " God has not forsaken me. May I not forsake Him." — Introduction to the 
 Talavakar Upaxishad. 
 
O MERCIFUL Father, whose benevolent providence 
 has protected me during the defenceless hours of 
 sleep, accept my morning tribute of prayer and praise. I 
 thank Thee that Thy loving-kindness has enabled me to 
 enter upon the duties of another day with renewed 
 energies and spirits. All things proclaim Thy glorious 
 providence, and Thine infinite goodness unto us. Before 
 I go forth to the labours and enjoyments of the day, I 
 would place my whole trust in Thy guidance, and con- 
 secrate the energies of my body and mind to Thee. 
 
 Strengthen and prepare me for the trials which await 
 me this day. May Thy counsel regulate my mind, may 
 Thy love warm my heart, and may Thy sacred presence 
 go with me as the Hght in my paths. Curb each impure 
 desire, restrain each worldly craving, and sanctify all my 
 aspirations and feelings by leading them to Thee. Make 
 me prompt and faithful in the discharge of my various 
 duties, and in all my intercourses with the world keep 
 my conscience void of uncleanness. Grant that tempta- 
 tions may not shake my fideHty to Thee ; grant that 
 
 T 
 
274 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK, 
 
 amidst all the vicissitudes of life I may cleave to Thee 
 finnly. Teach me to remember that to attain Thee is the 
 sole destiny of life ; and help me to spend the precious 
 hours of this day and all days accordingly. Do Thou, 
 O Everlasting Father and Friend, enable me to grow 
 continually in purity and faith, that each day may find 
 me nearer to Thee, 
 
 lEbnting grayer. 
 
 I approach Thee, O Lord my God, with humble thanks- 
 givings for the manifold mercies which thou hast showered 
 on me this day. Each joy that I have experienced, — 
 each desire that has been gratified, — each breath I have 
 inhaled speaks of Thy goodness and calls forth my 
 gratitude. Thy fatherly care has been with me all day, 
 and has protected my body and mind. I praise Thee 
 for the opportunities and means of good which Thou 
 hast given me — for each holy thought and aspiration 
 Thou hast enabled me to indulge, each virtuous deed 
 Thou hast enabled me to perform. 
 
 Thou knowest, O Thou Omniscient God, what sins I 
 have committed this day ; Thou knowest how far I am 
 wanting in that strict obedience to Thy law which Thou 
 dost require from us. With deep penitence now I im- 
 plore Thy mercy. Chasten and purify my soul by 
 
THE THEISrS PRAYER-BOOK. 275 
 
 inflicting due retribution, and ann me with resolution 
 not to fall into my sins again. Without Thine invigorat- 
 ing spirit we cannot subdue the temptations which 
 assail us. Fill me, therefore. Gracious Lord, with strength 
 and constancy and faith, and help me to turn away from 
 all that is evil and impure. May every day of my life be 
 spent according to Thy will. Permit me now, O Lord, to 
 retire to my bed with a heart full of trust in Thee \ and 
 grant that if I live to rise from this sleep I may conse- 
 crate my renewed energies to Thee. But if this night be 
 my last night on earth, and my waking be in the regions 
 of eternity, may I be carried on the wings of Thy mercy 
 into the blessed mansions of purity and joy everlasting. 
 
 Gracious Father, teach me so to enjoy the felicities 
 which Thou hast unsparingly bestowed upon me in Thy 
 great mercy, that they may not act as a snare to my soul. 
 May Thy blessings, instead of inflating me with arrogance 
 and vain glory, fill me wdth humility and fervent gratitude 
 to Thee. May I remember that they are not designed to 
 make me worldly-minded, but to call forth my greater 
 and more earnest exertions in the cause of Him from 
 whom I have received them. Grant that the temptations 
 of prosperity may not drown the voice of conscience ; 
 
276 THE THEISrS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 grant that amidst all the enjoyments and hopes of 
 affluence, my heart may steadfastly cleave to Thee — 
 Thou Giver of every good that we possess. Teach me, 
 Kind Lord, that as I cheerfully enjoy Thy gifts now, I 
 may be prepared to abandon them as cheerfully, if need 
 be, and be satisfied with whatever position I may fall 
 into. Keep my heart alive to the vanity of the world, 
 and help me to remember always that the highest honours 
 and the sweetest joys of this life are only for a moment. 
 And may I always aspire to that prosperity and that 
 wealth which perish not — the prosperity of the soul, the 
 wealth of a righteous heart. Be with me always, O Lord, 
 and preserve me from temptations. 
 
 In ^fftiction. 
 
 Help me, O Lord, who art with us in prosperity and 
 in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, whose providence 
 extendeth over the happy as well as over the poor and 
 distressed, help me to bear my lot with patience and 
 content. May I not deplore my lonely condition, but 
 thank Thee that Thou hast placed me under the chasten- 
 ing and humbling influences of affliction, and opened my 
 eyes to the hollowness and uncertainty of earthly felici- 
 ties. May I specially rejoice that even in this fallen 
 state Thy fatherly affection has not left me. When no 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK, 277 
 
 hands are near to succour or console me, when the world 
 has altogether ceased to smile on me, Thy loving arms 
 are around me. I beseech Thee, O Thou Helper of the 
 helpless, Thou Friend of the distressed, to invigorate me 
 with Thy spirit, that I may resolutely bear the strokes of 
 affliction, however severe, and with unflinching forbear- 
 ance endure all privation and hardship. May affliction 
 or sorrow never draw me away from the duties which I 
 owe to Thee j however low my position may be, may I 
 always retain Thee in my heart — Thou All-Merciful Lord 
 of the poor. Save me from discontent and despair, from 
 vexation and heaviness of heart. Animate and gladden 
 me ^vith assurances of Thine infinite love, and enrich me 
 with the treasures of Thy spirit. Thou art my all, 
 O Lord ; may I not consider whether I am rich or poor, 
 but earnestly strive to discharge my duties to Thee in 
 faith and love. 
 
 jpor jfortitulrc. 
 
 God Almighty, inspire me with Thy spirit, and help 
 me to place my firmest reliance on Thee, that I may 
 boldly encounter and subdue the temptations of life. 
 Preserve me from the fear of man and the service of 
 mammon ; keep me from whatsoever bindeth my affec- 
 tion to the vanities of the world. Teach me to remember 
 
278 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 always that I have a high and sacred mission to fulfil — 
 even to dedicate my whole life to Thy service ; and arm 
 me with resolution and constancy, that I may advance in 
 the path of my mission with unfaltering steps, turning 
 neither to the right nor to the left. May I learn to prize 
 duty above all things, truth above the riches and honours 
 of the world, Thine approbation above the esteem and 
 applause of man. Make my love and fidelity towards 
 Thee so unshakable that I may not only sacrifice my 
 worldly interests for Thy sake, but do so with joy, re- 
 membering that Thou art dearer than the dearest objects. 
 Vouchsafe unto me, O Lord, fortitude and enthusiasm, 
 that if the whole world were to stand in hostile array 
 against me, I may not swerve from Thee, but manfully 
 vindicate and uphold Thy cause in the face of all opposi- 
 tion and persecution. Help me so valiantly to fight for 
 truth, in such unyielding and uncompromising spirit to 
 obey Thy commands, that I may, if need be, lay down 
 my life at Thy feet amidst the difficulties and hardships 
 of martyrdom. To thy name, O Thou Omnipotent God, 
 be everlasting glory. 
 
 Jfor Bclibtrancc. 
 
 O Holy Father, amid the temptations and perils of 
 the world Thou only art my refuge ; Thy protection is 
 my only hope. Conscious of sin and corruption, where 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 279 
 
 shall I, O Lord, repose my troubled heart but upon 
 Thine infinite mercies ? I am Thine, Thine for ever ; 
 unto Thee do I cry, O my God ; send me not away for 
 my sins, but heal me, and root out the evil from my 
 heart. O how solemn are my relations to Thee, and 
 how awful therefore is my iniquity ! Being Thy child 
 and servant, I have disobeyed Thy commands : being 
 the object of Thine unbounded affection, I have ungrate- 
 fully turned away from Thee. Though Thou didst con- 
 stantly bid me eschew evil, and call me to Thy path, I 
 neglected Thy bidding, I heeded not Thy call. Thy 
 love to me, O Lord, is infinite ; but I love Thee not, my 
 love is fastened to the world. The magnitude of my 
 guilt is immense, and makes me tremble to stand before 
 Thy holy face. Deliver me, O Thou gracious God of 
 Salvation, and purify my soul with the waters of peni- 
 tence. Deliver me from corrupt thoughts and actions. 
 Deliver me from an unclean heart ; from bad company 
 and counsel ; from hypocrisy, fickleness, and uncharitable 
 dispositions. Deliver me from worldliness, and whatever 
 tendeth to turn away my love from Thee. Teach me to 
 search my heart, and sacrifice whatever is wrong in it. 
 When unworthy desires arise in my heart, and passions 
 tempt me to evil, may I prayerfully throw myself upon 
 Thy mercy, and with Thine aid fortify my soul. In all 
 my spiritual endeavours help me to look up to Thee for 
 light and strength, for Thou art my all, O Merciful God. 
 
28o THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 ^£lf=Cons£cration. 
 
 I beseech Thee, O Thou God of love, to engage my 
 whole life in Thy service. Bind me to Thee by the 
 sweet attractions of Thy love, and grant that nothing on 
 earth may alienate my heart from Thee. Make me so 
 thoroughly Thine that I may cleave to Thee for ever — in 
 the hours of woe and the days of gladness, in weakness 
 and strength, in health and sickness, in my labours and 
 recreations, in my domestic affairs and social intercourses. 
 Wherever I may be, in whatever work engaged, may I 
 serve none but Thee, may I follow none but Thee. As 
 Thou hast taught me to worship no created object, to 
 serve no idol, cast out from my heart that spiritual idola- 
 try which draws away my love and energies from Thee, 
 and devotes them to the pursuit of some favourite passion 
 — that idolatry which makes the soul bow down before 
 avarice, fame, ambition, or the felicities of the world. 
 Keep me from all sorts of idolatry, and teach me to 
 acknowledge Thee as my only Master, the One True 
 God. May I always remember that the sole aim of my 
 life is to find Thee, and may all my thoughts and words 
 and actions turn to Thy glory. May my whole life be 
 pervaded by Thy holy spirit; may Thy love be the 
 centre of all my actions. If there is aught in a comer 
 of my heart which I love for its own sake, and which I 
 cannot sacrifice for Thee, help me to root it out. Divert 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK 
 
 2«I 
 
 my affection from the world and establish it firmly in 
 Thee, that I may hanker after nothing but Thy plea- 
 santest company. Gracious Lord, enable me, I beseech 
 Thee, so thoroughly to devote myself to Thee that I may 
 live and die amid the sweet joys of true resignation. 
 
 Gracious Lord, the time is approaching when I shall 
 depart from this world. All my enjoyments and felicities 
 have forsaken me, my dearest relations and friends are 
 turning their faces from me, — and alone as I did come, 
 alone shall I depart. Frojn all dear connections and 
 pleasant objects of this worl(i for ever cut off, I am about 
 to launch into that vast eternity which stretches forth 
 before me. O Thou Father, Preserver, and Guide, Thou 
 whose hands have always protected me, accept my last 
 but feeble tribute of gratitude for the blessings which 
 Thou hast bestowed upgn me, and especially for the 
 strength and opportunities with which Thou hast enabled 
 me to serve and worship Thee amidst the temptations of 
 the world. Known to Thee are the manifold sins which 
 I have committed in my life. Regenerate and purify me 
 by Thy holy spirit, ancj receive me into Thy keeping. 
 Help me, O Lord, to feel Thy love in this deserted and 
 helpless state. My spirits are declining, my senses are 
 
282 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 failing me ; no object brings me delight ; there is none to 
 console or comfort my heart. All round me is darkness. 
 Do Thou, O Kind Father, reveal Thy loving countenance 
 at this solemn hour, and fill me with the sweets of Thy 
 company. I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast not for- 
 saken me, that Thy hands are near to help and protect 
 me when all other hands are away. I thank Thee for 
 Thy assurances that Thou wilt never forsake me, but \vilt 
 continue to animate and purify me by Thy love, time 
 without end. Thou only art mine, mine now and for 
 ever, my Dearest Father, my Everlasting Friend. To 
 Thy fatherly care I commend my family, friends, and 
 brethren. Bless them, O Lord, and keep them for ever 
 under Thy protection. — The world is fast going out of 
 sight. Permit me now. Dear Lord, to depart in faith 
 and hope, and lead me to the regions of purity and 
 peace. 
 
 ^ragcr for tj)£ ^sc of Heltgious fecftools. 
 
 We have assembled again, O Thou Ever-blessed God, 
 to investigate Thy glories, and the momentous truths of 
 our destiny and salvation. Vouchsafe unto us Thy en- 
 lightening and invigorating aid, that we may be enabled 
 to accomplish that object. Save us from prejudices and 
 errors, and the bewildering perplexities of controversy. 
 O Thou Father and Instructor, nurture our souls in true 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 283 
 
 faith. Quicken our consciences, and keep us always alive 
 lo our duties and responsibilities. Above all, teach us 
 that reliance upon Thee is indispensable. As Thou 
 exaltest our minds in the knowledge of truth, do Thou 
 also train our hearts to a thorough love of Thee, and our 
 wills to a practical obedience to Thy law : for if we do 
 not practically fulfil Thy law, faith is unprofitable. WTiat- 
 ever truth we learn of Thee, may we at once apply to our 
 life; whatever duty we learn may we at once put into 
 practice. Teach us to be assiduous and persevering in 
 our pursuit of truth, and to avail ourselves of all blessed 
 means of improvement which may come in our way. 
 May the wTitings of the devout fill us with good thoughts ; 
 may the example of the righteous quicken our aspirations 
 and strengthen our resolves; may constant communion 
 with Thee purify our souls ; may the remembrance of the 
 brevity of life keep us from delays and the vanities of the 
 world. Bless this school, O Lord ; bless them that give 
 and them that receive instructions. Keep Thy holy light 
 steadily before each one of us, and enable us to grow in 
 faith and rectitude, here and hereafter. 
 
 jpamilt) ^Srapcr. 
 
 O God our Father, who hast bound us together in this 
 family by the ties of domestic affection, help us to draw 
 
284 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 near to Thee. Thou art the Guardian of our lives, the 
 Giver of every good, our Guide and Counsellor. We 
 regard it as our best privilege that Thou hast permitted 
 us to call Thee our Father, and to bow down before 
 Thee in filial trust and obedience. May we never forget 
 Thine infinite mercies; may we rejoice that Thou, Ruler 
 of this universe, the Infinite Lord of the earth and 
 heavens, art present at this family altar to hear and 
 accept our humble prayers. Sweeten and strengthen 
 those relations which bind us to each other, by drawing 
 unto Thee the affections of each one of us. Foster in us 
 right feelings towards each other, and cast out selfishness, 
 jealousy, and whatsoever creates discord and ill-will 
 among us. In all domestic joys may we gratefully re- 
 member Thee ; in all domestic calamities may we learn 
 to place our trust in Thee, knowing that in Thee is all 
 our good. O Thou loving God, who with more than a 
 mother's affection dost feed and protect us, preserve the 
 souls of Thy children in Thy holy keeping. Chastise us 
 if we do wrong ; bring us back to Thee if we run astray. 
 Help us to keep our hearts from impurity, and our hands 
 from unrighteous actions. Send unto us meekness and 
 humility, and prepare us for all the vicissitudes of life. 
 May we live as Thy obedient children and faithful 
 followers. Thou art the Lord of this family ; make this 
 home the abode of divine love, purity, and faith, of peace 
 and mutual good-will. Bless this family, O Lord, and 
 
THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 285 
 
 make it truly Thine. Father of all families on earth, 
 extend Thy glory everywhere, and draw unto Thee the 
 hearts of all Thy children. To Thee, O God, we con- 
 secrate our hearts and souls, that we may be Thine 
 everlastingly. 
 
 We thank Thee, O Beneficent God, that Thou hast 
 
 gathered us again in this sacred place of worship to 
 
 glorify and adore Thee. The blessed hour to which we 
 
 were earnestly looking forward amid the anxieties and 
 
 troubles of the week has now arrived. Permit us to 
 
 approach Thee, and prepare our hearts that we may feel 
 
 Thy sacred presence. O Thou Light and Love, Thou 
 
 art everywhere ; Thou art before our eyes in all the 
 
 objects we behold; Thou dwellest in the innermost 
 
 recesses of the heart. Everywhere is Thy benignant face, 
 
 and Thy loving arms are around us all. Help us so to 
 
 concentrate our souls in Thy all-pervading spirit, so to 
 
 feel Thy holiness and purity, that each corrupt desire, 
 
 each worldly craving may perish, and all the sentiments 
 
 and feelings of the soul may be brought at Thy feet. 
 
 May the pleasures which we now enjoy in Thy company 
 
 last for ever : may they continue to sweeten our whole 
 
 lives and endear Thee to us everlastingly. Vouchsafe 
 
286 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 to keep us always under the shadow of Thy protection, 
 and guide our steps in the thorny paths of the world. 
 Amidst the woes and sufferings of the world, be Thou 
 our joy; amid its darkness be Thou our Light; amid its 
 temptations and persecutions be Thou our shield and 
 armour. Promote amongst us good-will and affection, 
 sanctify our dealings with each other, and bind us into 
 a holy brotherhood. May we aid each other in doing 
 and loving that which is good in Thy sight. Teach us, 
 O Lord, to spend all our days in Thy service, and aspire 
 to be partakers of the rich blessings and lasting joys of 
 the next world. Be with us always. Thou affectionate 
 Father, and enable us to grow steadily in Thy love. 
 Bring all men under the protection of true faith. May 
 Thy dear name be chanted by every lip, and mayst 
 Thou find a temple in every breast. And unto Thee 
 we ascribe everlasting glory and praise. 
 
 ^ftanlisgibittg antr praise. 
 
 Almighty God, we would praise Thee and declare Thy 
 mercies with joyful hearts. Thou art our Father, and the 
 source of all the blessings we enjoy. At Thy command 
 the sun giveth us light and heat, and the moon sheddeth 
 its serene lustre, and inviteth us to rest and sleep. By 
 Thy law the uncounted stars above bespangle the heavens, 
 
THE THEISrS PRAYER-BOOK. 287 
 
 and the fields beneath smile in the luxuriance of harvests. 
 Thou upholdest the earth and heavens, and the countless 
 myriads of animated beings. Thou givest us food and 
 clothing, and the manifold pleasures of the body. Each 
 breath that we draw is Thy blessing. Wherever we turn 
 our eyes, we behold the exhibitions of Thy mercy. Not 
 a moment passes but it reveals Thy man-ellous goodness. 
 All objects prompt us to gratitude, O Lord, and call forth 
 our fervent praise. Thou art the life of our life ; Thy 
 right hand preserveth us. Our sustenance cometh from 
 Thee, and all our delight proceedeth from Thee. When 
 we are hungry Thou feedest us; when we are weary 
 Thou givest us rest. When woes and calamities afflict 
 us, Thou wipest off the tears of our eyes ; when despair 
 overpowereth us, Thou sendest us hope and consolation. 
 When we are utterly cast do\\-n, Thou comest to help 
 and cheer us. When we are involved in sin and wicked- 
 ness, Thou dost hourly knock at our hearts, that we may 
 receive Thine aid, and be saved. Though we forget 
 Thee and seek Thee not, Thou keepest us always 
 under the shadow of Thy mercy, and doest what is good 
 for us. Thy mercies, O Lord, who can describe ? In- 
 finite is Thy kindness ! Unbounded Thy paternal love 
 unto us ! May Thy kingdom spread over the whole 
 earth. May false beliefs and false worships perish : ma)- 
 the sun of truth shine upon all mankind, and may all 
 hearts worship the True God. May our lips praise Thee 
 
288 THE THEISTS PRAYER-BOOK. 
 
 for ever, may our souls always send forth fervent thanks- 
 givings unto Thee. May all families and all nations 
 chant Thy mercies. And unto Thy blessed name, O 
 Lord, glory be for ever and ever. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 VlKTUli AM) CO., PRINTERS, CITY ROAD, LONDON. 
 
A LIST OF BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 STRAHAN AND CO., 
 
 56, LUDGATE HILL, LONDON, 
 
 By ALFRED TENNYSON, D.C.L., 
 
 POET LAUREATE. 
 
 1. POEMS. Small 8vo, 9s. 
 
 2. MAUD, and other Poems. Small 8vo, 5s. 
 
 3. THE PRINCESS. Small 8vo, 5s. 
 
 4. IDYLLS OF THE KING. Small 8vo, 7?. 
 Collected, small 8vo, 123. 
 
 5. ENOCH ARDEN, &c. Small 8vo, 6s. 
 
 6. SELECTIONS FROM THE ABOVE 
 
 8vo, cloth extra, 5s. 
 
 7. THE HOLY GRAIL, and other Poems. Small 8vo, 7s. 
 
 6. SELECTIONS FROM THE ABOVE WORKS. Square 
 8vo, cloth extra, 5s. 
 
 IN MEMORIAM. Small 8vo, 65. 
 
 POCKET VOLU^TE EDITION OF MR. TENNYSON'S 
 WORKS. 10 Vols, in neat case, £z 5s. 
 
 CONCORDANCE TO MR. TENNYSON'S WORKS. 
 
 Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d. 
 
 By the DUKE of ARGYLL. 
 
 1. THE REIGN OF LAW. New Edition, with Additions. 
 
 Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 2. PRIMEVAL MAN. An Examination of some Recent 
 
 Speculations. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d. 
 
A LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED Bit 
 
 By HENRY ALFORD, D.D., 
 
 DEAN OF CANTERBURY. 
 
 1. THE NEW TESTAMENT. Authorised Version Revised. 
 
 Long- primer Edition, Crown 8vo, 6s. Brevier Edition, Fcap. Svo- 
 3S. ^. Nonpareil Edition, smalbSvcr, Is. 6d. 
 
 2. ESSAYS AND ADDRESSES, chiefly on Church Sub- 
 
 jects. Demy 8vo, ys, 6d. 
 
 3. THE YEAR OF PRAYER ; beinfg Family Prayefs for 
 
 the Christian Year. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. ; Small 8vo, is. 6d. 
 
 4. THE YEAR OF PRAISE ; being Hymns with Tunes for 
 
 the Sundays and Holidays of the Year. Large tj-pe, with music, 
 3s. 6d. ; without music, is. Small type, with music, is. 6d. ; without 
 mtisic, 6d. Tonic Solfa Edition, is. 6d. 
 
 5. HOW TO STUDY THE NEW TESTAMENT. Three 
 
 Vols., sm:all 8vo, 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 6. EASTERTIDE SERMONS. SmaU 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 7. MEDITATIONS : Advent, Creation, and Providence. 
 
 Small 8vo, 33. 6d. 
 
 8. LETTERS FROM ABROAD. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d. 
 
 9. THE QUEEN'S ENGLISH: A Manual of Idiom and 
 
 Usage. New and Enlarged Edition. Small 8vo, 5s. 
 
 By ROBEUT BTJCHANANT. 
 
 1. THE BOOK OF ORM. CroWn 8vo, 6s. 
 
 2. LONDON POEMS. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 3. IDYLS AND LEGENDS OF INVERBURN. Crown 
 
 8vo, 6s. 
 
 4. UNDERTONES. Small 8 vo, 6s. 
 
 By the Rev. SAMUEL CO:S:. 
 
 1. THE RESURRECTION. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 2. THE PRIVATE LETTERS OF ST. PAUL AND 
 
 ST, JOHN. Crown 8vo, 3s. 
 
 3. THE QUEST OF THE CHIEF GOOD. Expository 
 
 Lectures on the Book Ecclesiastes, with a New Translation. Small 
 4to, 7s. 6d. 
 
STRASAN AND CO. 
 
 By THOMAS GTJTHRIE, D.D. 
 
 1. STUDIES OF CHARACTER FRO^I THE OLD 
 
 TESTAMENT. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 2. THE PARABLES READ IN THE LIGHT OF THE 
 
 PRESENT DAY. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 3. MAN AND THE GOSPEL. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 4. OUR FATHER'S BUSINESS. Cro^vn 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 5. OUT OF HARNESS. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 6. SPEAKING TO THE HEART. Crown 8vo, 35. 6d. 
 
 7. THE ANGELS' SONG. i8mo, is. 6d. 
 
 8. EARLY PIETY. i8mo, is. 6d. 
 
 SAVING KNOWLEDGE. Addressed to Young Men. By 
 Thomas Guthrie, D.D., and W. G. Blaikie, D.D. Croavn 8vo, 
 3s. 6d. 
 
 By NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE. 
 PASSAGES FROM THE ENGLISH NOTE-BOOKS. 
 
 2 vols, post 8vo, 24s. 
 
 By Sir J. F. W. HERSCHEL, Bart. 
 FAMILIAR LECTURES ON SCIENTIFIC SUBJECTS. 
 
 Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 By J. S. HOWSON, D.D., 
 
 DEAN OF CHESTER. 
 
 THE :METAPH0RS of ST. PAUL. Cro\\Ti 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 By the Rev. JOHN HTTNT. 
 
 1. RELIGIOUS THOUGHT IN ENGLAND from the Refor- 
 
 mation to the End of Last Centurj-. A Contribution to the History 
 of Theology-. Vol.1. Demj' 8vo, i6s. 
 
 2. AN ESSAY ON PANTHEISM. Post 8vo, los. 6d. 
 
 By EDWARD IRVING. 
 
 1. COLLECTED ^VRITINGS. 5 vols., demy 8vo, ^3. 
 
 2. :miscellanies from the collected writ- 
 
 INGS. Post 8vo, 6s. 
 
 3. prophetical writings. Vols. I. and II. Demy 
 8vo, 15s. each. 
 
A LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY 
 
 By GEORGE MAC DONALD, LL.D. 
 
 1. ANNALS OF A QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD. Crown 
 
 8vo, 6s. 
 
 2. THE SEABOARD PARISH. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 3. THE DISCIPLE, and other Poems. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 4. UNSPOKEN SERMONS. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 5. DEALINGS WITH THE FAIRIES. With Illustrations 
 
 by Arthur Hughes. Square 32mo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 By NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D. 
 
 1. EASTWARD. Travels in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. 
 
 AVith Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 2. THE STARLING. A Scotch Story. With Illustrations. 
 
 Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 3. REMINISCENCES OF A HIGHLAND PARISH. 
 
 Crown Svo, 6s. 
 
 4. THE OLD LIEUTENANT AND HIS SON. With 
 
 Illustrations. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 5. THE EARNEST STUDENT : being Memorials of John 
 
 Mackintosh. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 6. THE GOLD THREAD. A Stoiy for the Young. With 
 
 Illustrations. Square Svo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 7. PARISH PAPERS. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 8. SIMPLE TRUTH SPOKEN TO WORKING PEOPLE. 
 
 Small Svo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 By H. L. MANSEL, D.D., 
 
 DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. 
 
 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONDITIONED: Sir 
 
 William Hamilton and John Stuart Mill. Post Svo, 6s. 
 
 By GERALD MASSEY. 
 A TALE OF ETERNITY, and other Poems. Crown Svo, "js. 
 
 By the Rev. CHARLES MERIVALE, D.C.L., 
 
 DEAN OF ELY. 
 
 HOMER'S ILIAD in English Rhymed Verse. 2 vols., 
 demy Svo, 24s. 
 
 By JOHN HENRY NEWMAN. 
 
 MISCELLANIES FROM THE OXFORD SERMONS 
 AND OTHER WRITINGS. Crown Svo, 6s. 
 
STRAHAN AND CO. 
 
 By E. H. PLTJMPTRE, M.A. 
 
 1. BIBLICAL. STUDIES. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d. 
 
 2. CHRIST AND CHRISTENDOM. Being the Boyle 
 
 Lectures for 1866. Demy 8vo, 12s. 
 
 3. THE TRAGEDIES OF ^SCHYLOS. A New Trans- 
 
 lation, with a Biographical Essay, and an Appendix of Rhymed 
 Choral Odes. 2 vols., crown 8vo, 12s. 
 
 4. THE TRAGEDIES OF SOPHOCLES. A New Trans- 
 
 lation, with a Biographical Essay, and an Appendix of Rhymed 
 Choruses. Crown 8vo, 7s. 6d. 
 
 5. LAZARUS, and other Poems. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 6. MASTER AND SCHOLAR, and other Poems. Crown 
 
 8vo, 5s. 
 
 7. THEOLOGY AND LIFE. Sermons on Special Occa- 
 
 sions. Small Svo, 6s. 
 
 8. SUNDAY. Sewed, 6d. 
 
 By G-. A. SIMCOX. 
 
 POEMS AND ROMANCES. Cro^\^l 8vo, 6s. 
 
 By M. B. SMEDLEY. 
 
 1. POEMS (including " Lady Grace," a Drama in Five Acts), 
 
 Cro^\'n Svo, 5s. 
 
 2. OTHER FOLK'S LIVES. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 By A. P. STANLEY, D.D. 
 
 DEAX OF WESTMINSTER. 
 
 SCRIPTURE PORTRAITS, and other ]\Iiscellanies. Crown 
 Svo, 6s. 
 
 By SARAH TYTLEB. 
 
 1. CITOYENNE JACQUELINE. A Woman's Lot in the 
 
 Great French Revolution. Crown Svo, 5s. 
 
 2. DAYS OF YORE. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 3. GIRLHOOD AND WOMANHOOD. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 4. PAPERS FOR THOUGHTFUL GIRLS. With Illus- 
 
 trations by MiLLAis. Crown 8vo, 5s. 
 
 5. THE DIAMOND ROSE. A Life of Love and Duty. 
 
 Crown Svo, 5s. 
 
 6. THE HUGUENOT FAMILY IN THE ENGLISH 
 
 VILLAGE. With Illustrations. Crown Svo, 6s. 
 
A LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY STRAHAN AND CO, 
 
 By C. J. VATTGHAN", D.D. 
 
 MASTER OF THE TEMPLE. 
 
 1. LAST WORDS IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF 
 
 DONCASTER. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 
 2. EARNEST WORDS FOR EARNEST MEN. Small 
 
 8vo, 4s. 6d. 
 
 3. PLAIN WORDS ON CHRISTIAN LIVING. Small 
 
 8vo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 4. CHRIST THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Small 
 
 8vo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 5. CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST'S TEACHING. 
 
 Small 8vo, 2S. 6d. 
 
 C. VOICES OF THE PROPHETS ON FAITH, PRAYER, 
 AND HUMAN LIFE. Small 8vo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 By SAMUEL WILBEKFORCE, D.D. 
 
 BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. 
 
 HEROES OF HEBREW HISTORY. Post 8vo, 9s. 
 
 By JOHN YOUNG, LL.D. 
 
 1. THE CHRIST OF HISTORY. New and Enlarged 
 
 Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 2. THE LIFE AND LIGHT OF MEN. Post 8vo, 7s. 6d. 
 
 3. THE CREATOR AND THE CREATION : How Re- 
 
 lated. Crown 8vo, 6s. 
 
 Edited by the BISHOP OF ARGYLL. 
 
 PRESENT DAY PAPERS ON PROMINENT QUES- 
 TIONS IN THEOLOGY. One Shillingr Monthly. 
 
 1. THE ATONEMENT. . 8. MOTHER-CHURCH. 
 
 2. THE EUCHARIST. ' 9. USE OF THE WORD RE- 
 
 3. THE RULE OF FAITH. I VELATION IN THE NEW 
 
 4. PRESENT UNBELIEF. TESTAMENT. 
 
 5. W^ORDS FOR THINGS. 10. THE CHRISTIAN MINIS- 
 
 6. MEDITATIONS AND ! TRY. Part I. 
 
 PRAYERS. II. THE CHRISTIAN MINIS- 
 
 7, JUSTIFICATION by FAITH. TRY. Part II. 
 
 STRAHAN & CO., 56, LUDGATE HILL, LONDON. 
 
 280229 
 
RETURN TO the circulation desk of any 
 University of California Library 
 or to tlie 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bidg. 400, Ricinmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 
 (510)642-6753 . ,_ , ^ 
 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing books 
 
 ReneS'^and recharges may be made 4 days 
 prior to due date 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 >nnnnf4/P4^ 
 
L 
 
[