Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-05-27

thought about it. He taught that "men ought
to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, as the Father
and Mother of all things" He also strongly
inculcated the Worship of ancestors" but nev-
er once hints at the existence of one Supreme,
Almighty Being, to whom mali owes worship
and obedience. lie said \ man should not
live under the same heaven with the murderer
of his father"
The doctrine of natural depravity, or origl-
nal sin, is exceedingly repuSire to the Chinese
mind Their sagcs have taught moro pleas
ing doctrine.
AIencius saws: eff You observe the natural
dispositions, you may see that they are vrtuous !;
hence say that nature is virtuous. All men
have compassionate hearts, all men have hearts
which feel ashamed of vice, all have hearts dis
posed to show reverence and respect, and all
men have hearts which discriminate between
right and wrong. A compassionate heart is be-
nevolence a heart ashamed Of voice is rccti-
tude; heart which respects and revereS, Is
proprletv-and heart which clearly dlstin-
guishes right from wrong, is wisdom. Now be-
neyoence, and rectitude, proprety and wisdom
are not melted into us from something eternal; !;
we certainly possess them of ourselves. But
many think not of this. Hence the caution,
s;scek and you shall obtain, let GO, and you
shall lose;n some do lose one anu some tcniold,
and some innumcrable Thus they 10 not i'm
prove their natural powers" Again he says;
$ All men are naturally virtuouss as all water
naturally flows down. If you strike water or
leap into it, you may cause it to rise over your
head. Dam up its course and you may cause II
to rise to the hill tops but this is not its natural
inclination-it is impelled to do So Human
nature in the same way may be made to prac-
tce vice. Again he remarks " "Bcnerolencc Is
mans heart, and justice mans way"
Confucius says "Pcrection or sincerity Is
the wav of heaven to aim at it is the duty OF
man. The sincere find the due medium effort,
obtain it without thought, and practice 1t Spo!l-
tanconsly. Such are Sagcs. 1t is only the man
possessing the virtues of sages, that can perfect
his own nature, can perfect that OF other mon;
he who can perfect the nature of other men,
can perfect the nature of things; he who can
perfect the nature of things, can assist heaven
and earth in producing and nourishing things
When this is the case, then he is united With
heaven and earth, so as to form trinity. 10
be united with heaven and earth, means to
stand equal with heaven and earth, so as to form
triad. These are the actions OF tic man WHO
is by nature perfect, and who needs not TO ac-
ouirc perfection by study. The next order OF
men bend their attention to straighten their
,leNections from the path Of rcctitude Having
sincerity it gradually accumulatcs and makes
its appearance; after this it begins to shine: ana
at last becomes brilliant Having become bril-
liant. il then moves others to virtue. so that at
last il effects III them complete renovation"
According to the above teaching, ContuciuS
is now regarded b. the Chinese as equal with
heaven and cartll-thc three form trinity.
His words are therefore sacred, and to challenge
them, is to challenge heaven. We oppose rca-
son, experience. facts TO lis teaching, but an
vain. All men and books may be wrong but
Cunlncius-he is more in:allible than the pope.
The words Of Christ have no higher authority
with us, than have the saying ol ConlIclns
with his comtrymcn. Mahomet was never held
in Greater yrneraton than Butlla. The classics
are the Bible Of China and ConiuciuS the god
cf the classics. W. G. F.. CUNNlNGllAM.
Shaa.,HGi E.h. 18th, 1857.