, 1874-02-15
Z Max Mueler's Lecture in
Westminster Abbey.
The Hon-hissienary Religions: Judaism,
Brahmanism, and Zoroastrianism.
The Missionary Religions Buddhism,
Mohammedanism, and Chris
tianity.
The Deeisiye Battle for the Dominion Of
tie World to Be Fought Be.
tween the Latter.

"True Christianity lives, Not III Our Be-
lief, but in Our Love-
Prof. Max Mueller's recent lecture in West
minister Abbey, which has created such pro
found eensation in England, is reprinted III ful
by the Boston Indler from pampllet-edition o.
the lecture furnished BY the author to that pa
Per. Il is as follows:
The number Of religions which have attained
stability and permanenca in the history OF the
world ia very small. II We leave out Of con.
sidetation those vague and varying forms ol
faith and worship which ne find among IN
civilized and unsettled races, among races ig-
norant Of reading and writing, who have neither
u literature, nor laws, nor even hymns and
prayers handed down br oral teaching from
father TO son. from mother to daughter, NO See
that the number Of the real historical religions
Of mankind amounts to no more than eight The
Semitic races have produced three-the Jewish,
the Christian, the Mohalnmedan; the Aryan, OF
1ndo-European races, An equal number-the
Drah!nan, the Buddhist, aud the Parsi. Add to
these the two religious systems Of China, that Of
Confucius and I4ao-tse, and you hnse before you
what may be called the eight distinct languages
Or uttesances of the faith OF mankind from the
beginning Of the world to the present day j. rou
hnvc tefore you in broad outlines the religious
map Of tha whole world.
COMPARATIVE srrpy' OF Religions.
All these religions, however, have history, u
history more deeply interesting than the history
If language, OF literature, of arts, OF politics.
Religions ara not unchangeable; On the contrary,
They are nlways growing and changing; and If
they cease to grow and cease to change, they
cease to live. Some Of those religions stand BY
tl1emaalees, totally independent Of all the rest !;
others closely united, or have Influenced each
other during the various Btagcs Of their growth
and decay. They must therefore be stndjed to-
gether, it ue uish to understand their real char
acter, their growth their decay, and their resus-
citations. Thus, Moham1nedanism would be
nnintolligible without Christianity; Christianity
without Judaism; md there are HiIniiar bonds
hat hod together the great religions Of India
md petsia-the faith Of the Brnhman, the Bud
dhlst, and the Parsi. After careful study of
tbs origin and growth Of these religions, and
after = critical examination OF the sacred
books on which ill Of them profess to be found
ed, ii becomes possible to subject them ell to a
scieatihc classification, in the sanao manner as
Iangasgcat apparently uncounected and mutually
unintellislblc, have been scientifically arranged
2nd classified and by = comparison Of those
points, which all or soma OF them share in COM
mon, as well aa by a determination Of those
which are peculiar to each, new science has
been called into Tic. scicncp which concerns
us ali, aud in which all who truly care for re-
ligion n1nst sooner or later take their paEt-the
science OF religion.
MISSIONARY AND Spy-c1seIDSAnY RELIGIONS.
Among The yaripus claesifoatioua which nave
been applied to the rcligiora Of tue world, tlere
is ono tint interests ua more Immediately to-
night, I moan the division into nol-nisaionary
aud mlaEionaty religions. This is by no means
ns might be supposed, . clsseihcation based Oh
an unlmportant OF merely accidental characseris-
tic; on tho contrary, it rests on what is the very
heart-blood in every system Of human faith.
Among tha si1 religions Of the Aryan and Semi
missionary MISREPRESENTATION, Brahmanism.
md ZoroasttianiB1n and three that bayn mis-
eionary character from their Tery beginning
Buddhism. Mohammedaniem, and Christianity.
JUDAISM.
The Jews, particularly in ancient times, never
thought OF spreading their religion. Their re-
iigion was to them q treasure, d privilege,
blessing something to distinguish them, rs the
ekoaen people Of God, from all the rest uf tue
world L Jew must be Of the seed ct Abraham
ind when in Inter times, owing chiefly to politi-
al ci1culnstances, tho Jews he'd to admit
strangers to rome OF the privileges of their The
ocracy, they looked upon them, not as souls that
had been gained, saved, born again into new
which meana men who hase come to them as
eliens. not to be trusted, as their saying was,
until the twenty fourth generation.
B1AHMAN1sM.
A very similar feeling prevented TIE Brahmans
from ever attempting 70 proselytize those who
cs Of their country. Their wish wAB rnther to
keep the Light 10 themselves, to repel intrudera;
they went SO far to punish those who hap
pcned to be near enough to hear eyen the sound
OF their pr1yera or to witness their SACRIFICES.
zoRoAsrR1Ay1sM.
The Parsi. too, does not wish for converts to
his religion; he is proud Of his faith as of his
blood and though he believes in tho final victory
of truth and light, though he says to every
man, BE bright AZ tho sun, pnro IS the moon"
he himself does very little TO drive away spirit
ual darkness from the face Of the earth, by
letting the Light that is within him shine before
tha world.
MISSIONARY nELIG1oSs.
But now let us look at the other cluster OF re-
,ig,ona, at Buddhism, 51ohamnicdanism, aud
Christianity. However they maY differ from
each Other III so1de Of their most essential doc
trines, this they Rhare in conamon-they gu hare
faith In themselves, they all hare life and vigor,
they want to cohvilce. they nean to conquer
these three religions were missionary their
very founders, or their first apostles, recognized
The new duty Of spreading The truth, Of refuting
error, OF bringing the whole world to aeknowl-
eeise the paramount. Il not tho divine, authority
II their doctrines. That Is what giges to thrm
III common expression. and lifts them high !
ltove the level Of the othet religions Of the |
yorld.
BUDDHISM.
Let ns begin with Buddhism. We know, in |
Iced very little Of its origin and earliest growth,
or the earliest beginnings Of al religions with
ltau themselves by necessity from the. eye OF !
Ia historian. But ne have something like con |
temporary evidence Of the Great Council, bold at
'ataliputra. GAG B. c.. in which the sacred canon |
t the Buddhist scriptures WAS settled, and At
he thd Of which missionaries vera chosen aud
ent forth to preach the new doctrine, not only
India, but far beyond the frontiers Of that vast
onntrE. We epoesess Inscriptions containing the /
diets Of the King who was to Buddhism what
Constantine was to Christianity, who broke with
he traditions Of the old religion Of the Bral1~
aanB, and recognized the doctrines Of Buddha
s tho State religion Of 1ntlia- We possess tho
7aerintion o< that Buddhist Council, which Was
. India what The Council Of N;cna, $40 years
tier. WAS to Europe; and We can still read there
ne simple story, how the Chief Elder, who hau
resided orer the Council, an old man, too weak
} travel By land, and carried from his hermitage
, the Council in boat-how that man, when
..ns1. - / k.- |