English
"We may behold the native of Hindoostan, whose form is naturally of a tender texture^ and p 210 whose body is enfeebled by age, patient of fatigue, careless of d?inger, taking his long and painful journey from the Ganges to the Volga, to offer up a prayer, at the shrine of his God. We ^ may behold him, at another time, relinquishing evelry worldly conneftion, subduing every feeling of self-love, and all the sympathies of social life, " motionless as a tree, and fixing his eyes on the solar orb," till exhausted nature sinks, or despair prompts him to devote himself to the fury of the flood or fire. But, what is still more decisive to the purpose, and what shews the irresistible force of religious impressions, we may perceive the followers of the religion of Mohammed, and the professors of the Brahminical faith, living in the same country, breathing the same atmosphere, and therefore subjeft to the same effefts from climate ; each still retaining those remarkable peculiarities, which the genius of two religions, so diametrically opposite, inspires. In some of their institutions, such ^s those which prohibit the indulgence of inebriating liquors, or which permit the almost unrestrained gratification of sensual desire, they assimilate ; but even the common observer may distinguish the discriminating lines, which mark Ihe difference of their faith. 211 The force of religion can, of itself, combat the influence of climate, or counteradt the want of bodily strength. It can form th^ Ascetic and the Devotee, under the burning rays of an eastern sun ; it can form the Sybarite under the invigora- ting influence of a temperate clime. And chiefly that part of religion, which ex- clusively consists of our ideas concerning the Supreme Being, and the nature of our devotion to him, will be instrumental in forming the eha- • rafter. That course of life which is deemed the most acceptable to him, will be pursued and persevered in, however repugnant to all the feelings of nature, however detrimental to the interests of society, however painful in its execu- tion, or however useless in its tendency. Happy then are they, who live under the benign influence of a religion, in which the Deity is represented, not as a stern and inflexible tyrant, delighting in the sufferings of his slaves : but as a kind and compassionate parent, who rejoices in the happiness of his offspring j in which human life is represented, not as a state of ^servitude, but as a state of discipline -, in which the Almighty does not address himself to man in the accents of terror, but speaks to him in the P2 212 same consolotary voice, in which he once pro- claimed himself- to his chosen people of old : "The .Lord, the Lord God, merciful and graci- ous, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth." DISCOURSE VII. ON THE BEAHMINICAL SYSTEM IN ITS OPERATION ON THE INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES, The Causes which contribute to depress the intelleQual Faculties of the Hindoos deri- ved from their Religion — The Division of Society into Castes— The comprehension of Science in their Scheme of Revelation— The Incorporation of their Civil Institu- tions with their Religious System. Their •Chronological Scheme — Superiority of Europe over Asia, attributable to the Genius of the Christian Religion. DISCOURSE VII. ON THE BEAHMINICAL SYSTEM IN ITS OPERATION ON THE INTELLECTUAL FACDLTIES. Romans 14, v. 17. The Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink, but Righteousness, and Peace, and Toy in the Holy Ghost. ' XO form a just estimate of the comparative excellence of Christian morality, and of its in- fluence on the human charafter, it is requisite to consider the precepts of the Gospel, not only in a positive, but also in a negative view. Some. ! duties and obligations are enforced with a degree of stri£tness and precision, to be sought in vain clsewhlere j but the Christian revelation does not 'fiK what should be left indeterminate, and has always declined to interfere in those cases, where interference .would be sometimes unnecessary, and sometimes prejudicial. And it has efFe£ted this purpose, not only by disregarding many of those qualities so highly applauded by the world, and some of which have been thought J 4 216 essential to the existence of political society ; it not only neglefts to form the Patriot and fire the Here, but, satisfied with laying down a few com- prehensive rules of condu£l, it never directs their application to particular cases. Though it com- mands, in the most unequivocal terms, the obser- vance of temperance and self-denial ; yet it has not defined the exaft limits where rational enjoy- ment ends, and criminal excess begins. Though it inculcates the fundamental principles of equity and justice ; yet it never descends to discuss them with forensic prolixity, or forensic minuteness ; nor does it specify exceptions and limitations to plain and indubitable rules of praftice. Though it dire£ts, that some part of human life should be employed in the necessary occupations of secular industry, and that some part should be devoted to religious meditation ; yet it does not ascertain, with rigid and undeviating formality, the precise jquantity of time requisite" for •each ; but leaves the question, to be decided by'existing circufn- stances, and by the conscience of the individual. Contented with giving a right impulse to the , motions of the heart, it does not pretend to regulate them, with the exa£l:nessof mechanical oscillation ; but leaves them to be biassed by external causes ; by causes which will sometimes acceleratej and sometimes retard their ordinary 217 course ; by causes, which it is not less easy to -foresee, than impossible to control. Should this distinguishing charafler of Christian morality, appear to merit no higher praise, than that 'of maintaining a decorous and consistent reserve, concerning the ordinary concerns of life, which badly accord with the awful grandeur of religious sanations; yet this negative excellence may claim a higher commendation, and is produc- tive of more important advantages. The first advantage is, that the morality of the Christian religion, being* contained in a short compass, is always ready for use in the conduft of life. Of the Mussulman code we are informed, that it consists of not less than seventy-five thousand traditional precepts ; and of the sacred literature of the Hindoos, it has been , said, that " the longest life would not be sufficient for the perusal of hear five hundred thousand stanzas in the Puranas, and a million more perhaps in other works."" Moral precepts, applied to such, a variety of cases, and on such a variety of subjects, myst perplex, rather than enligflten ; must leave room for cavil and evasion, rather than- afford a * Sir W. Jonet, 218 specific direftion, in any emergetfcy of moral doubt. The next excellence of Christian morality, and which essentially distinguishes it from every other mode of religious faith, is, that this silence on many points of " doubtful disputation," renders Christianity " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Had its injunftions been contained in a code of jurisprudence, or comprised in a regular compendium of ethical maxims, they would have received a tin£l:ure from the opiniops and customs of the country wherein they originated. But Christianity, being an historical religion, although it abounds in references and allusions to the theatre, on which the events which it records were transafted j has nothing of that locality, which could confine its progress, or limit its duration. Though the tree was first planted in Judea, yet it stretches out its branches unto the " sea, and its boughs unto the river j" it flourishes not in any peculiar soil, but in climates the most remote from the spot, where , it first arose to overshadow the world. It is on this account, that the Christian Religion is the only faith capable of universal extension j for whatever variations may take place in the ,219 course of worldly affairs, it Is not In the least affefited by them. At it lays down no particular form of civil government, or system of political economy, it survives the dissolution of states and empires : or ,assimilates itself to any alterations and improvements which wisdom or expediency may suggest in their administration. As it dic- tates neither theories in philosophy, nor axioms in science, it hps left mankind free to adopt im- provenaents and discoveries in either: As it prescribes no regulations With respeft to the customs of domestic life, or to the different modes of social intercourse, it p^ermits those cha,nges Twhich constantly take place in them,' from the Innocent love of novelty, and the progress of refinement. Thus it is not a fabric, which though composed of durable inaterials, may, in a series of ages be rendered less beautiful or less com- modious, but is equally calculated to resist the assaults of external violence, and to withstand the silent decay of •time. But the highest conjmendation of Christian morality, derived from its negative excellence, is the unconstrained exercise, which it allows to the intellefilual powers of man. Christianity has left the mind free. While the perfeftion of the mental faculties in ^ futijre state, is pro-. 220 posed as an encouragement to exertion ; it has opposed, in the preset^ state, no obstacle to impede their progressive improvement.