i f 1 1 J \ [California gional .cility ^^immikUimii^HMiiM' -•JUJi^. ■•/_^j;j;;,iju^ ir,T,iurr' r 3 ui_ '^Aa^Ais'niwV :^ SCRIPTURE TRUTH IX ORIENTAL DRESS, OR KMCLIlMS explanatohy .OF BIBLICAL DOCTRINES AND MORALS, WITH PARALLEL Oil ILLUSTRATIVE REFERENCES TO PROVERBS AND PROVERBIAL SAVINGS IN THE Arahir, lien^/ali, Canarese, Persian, Russian, Sanskrit, Tamni, Telegu and Urdu Lanrjuages, I Y THE REV. J. LONG. " Witliout a parable spake lie not to the people." Mark iv. ?A. CALCUTTA: Til ACKER, SPINK AND CO, 1871. CALcnxTA, IsDUN Dailt News Press. PREFACE. f^^^^ This little manual is designed merely to in- \ troduce the important subject of Biblical truth illustrated from Emblems, Oriental Proverbs and Proverbial sayings, and the Auther hopes that some one of more leisure and learning will carry out the plan in a more elaborate manner. His simple object is to furnish some raw materials to those wishing to convey the Doctrines of Christianity to the millions of India through popular preaching or schools for the masses — to point out to natives of India non-Christian how thoroughly Oriental tlie Bible is both in its subject and style — and to open out to European readers a new mine for illuS" trating Christian truth by Oriental Proverbs and Proverbial sayings which enshrine the wit and wisdom of the multitude. Emblems, parables, pictures, proverbs are even in Europe regarded as of great value in instructing the masses, how much more ought they to be used in Eastern lands, where it is so important when announcing new dogma to fix them in the mind by illustrations which excite interest and arrest attention. Chr^^sostom in Constantinople and Latimer in London well knew the value of these in their popular addresses. The field of illustration drawn from the book of nature and man's social condition is very wide, but the limits assigned to this manual have excluded a variety C)f otiicr iUustrative nuitter and especially anecdotes, Fables, Historical references ; various doctrines whicli did not admit of illusti-ation by iScripturc emblems have been ncccssai'ily omitted. J. LONG. Calcutta, ioih June 1871. 30SL~'1S7 CONTENTS. lutroductiDU Index Emblems 252 of Bible trutlig with commentary, illustrations from Lible history, Oriental sayings... Badasra Proverbs illustratiu" Bible Llalayalan ditto Tamiil ditto Chinese ditto Panjabi ditto Persian ditto Urdu ditto Telegu ditto Veman's Telegu ditto Kussian ditto Turkish ditto Abu Talib's Arabic ditto ... Bengali ditto ... Sanskrit ditto ... Arabic ditto ... Canarese ditto ... Scripture Similes illustrating texts Oriental Customs ditto ... Specimens of Questions on Emblems 1— u iii — viii 1—210 217—218 218—219 219—221 221—222 222 222—226 226—228 228—230 230—2.39 2.39—241 241—242 242—245 245—250 251—258 258—262 202—263 264—260 266—268 265—689 CIIRISriYA TATVA PURBADESH BESIIE, OR, CHRISTIAN TRUTH IN ORIENTAL DRESS. o All Orientals are fond of apologue, fables, and figurative language, and love to clothe ethical and I'eligions truth in the graceful and pleasing drapery of metaphor, thus engaging the attention, impressing the memory, and strewing the path to abstract dogmas with flowers ; even dictionaries have been com- posed by them in verse. The Bible as an oriental book is imbued with this spirit, as is exemjilified in the lyrical odes of the Psalms, the jiroverbial writings of Solomon, the di-amas of Job, and Solomon's song ; while of our Lord it is said, — without a parable or simile spake He Dot to the people ; He represented moral and spiritual truths by imagery drawn from nature, the relations of society, and the common occupations of men. While parts of the Bible from the Ilistorical and Geographi- cal references, as well as from ficqueut alhisions to the Jowisli system, must be ob.scurc to the masses of India ; on the other hand, there is an ample storehouse in the figurative language of Scripture, as well as in its emblems and siniilies, drawn from (iod's glorious and open picture Book, the fanuliar scenes of Nature, whicli none observes with more interest than the Indian peasant, calculated to interest an Oriental race, as well as to make its great doctrines more intelligible to them. Among the Fatliers Chry.sostom, in France Saurin and Massillon, and even in England itself Jeremy Taylor, South, Latimer, Fuller, Hall, Flavfl, and a host of writers of former days, availed themselves of this storoliouse in tlieir writings ami pulpit dis- course ; even proverbs were not tlimight beneath tlie dignity of pulpit oratory, and in modern times, .some of the greatest pulpit orators have followed in the .same track. Numerous works have i.ssued from the Press in England and Cerniany on the Emblems, Siniilies, Parables, and Proverbs of the Jfoly Scriptures, whicli have been found of gre.it use in popul.'ir preacliing, in school teaching, and in the f.imily circle. In India, whore a Christian Vernacular Literature is rising tn gieat conHe(|uenco -where Native P;istors are r.ipidly on the increase, where C'hriMlian Vern.acular Kducation is becoming one of the great needs of (he day, and where the mode and manner of Missionary Preaching to Orientals is of great ronscfuience, there is a wide field o|M'nc