The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-09-08

one substance, self-existent, and an
unapproachable God. M. de Rouge
then says that from, or rather before
the beginning of the historical period,
the pure monotheistic religion passed
through the phase of sabeism; the sun
instead OF being considered as the
symbol Of life, was taken as the mani
festation of God himself. The second
characteristic of religion was mystery
which does honor to the theological in
tellect of the Egyptians.
God is the self-existent; he is the
only being who has not been begotten.
Hence the idea of considering him
under two aspects-Father and Son.
These doctrines were in existence two
thousand years before Christ. More
than five thousand years ago, in the
valley of the Nile, the hymn began to
the unity of God and the immortality
IF the soul.
In China five thousand years ago, as
on the western coast of Africa, the
idea of Supreme Being was associated
with the visible heavens. In the Ian
guages of western Africa and eastern
Asia one word designated God and
also the visible heavens. This name
was I'll, the personal name of heaven.
Snang-ti means the supreme heavens.
DR.. Lsgge, best authorized to speak on
this subject, says: "These characters
show us that the religion of the
Chinese five thousand years ago was
monotheism;" and he adds that ''these
two names have kept the monotheist!c
element prominent in the prevailing
religion of China down to the present
day. In China, as elsewhere, the good
ness and paternity of God has ever
been held as indicating the divine will
that we should love one another"
Confucius observed religious cere-
monies which fully enough recognized
the idea of supreme personal God.
His language is this He who offends
against heaven, there is none to whom
he can pray. But there is heaven
that knows me-" These standard
authorities show that in the religion of
the ancient Egyptians aud Chinese the
ruling idea was monotheism.
The original Vedic religion was
form of monOtheism, but peculiar
one. 1t was not monarchial monothe-
ism like that of Greece and Rome
wherein our duty is supreme. 1t was
system in which each of the great pow
ers of nature were alternately defied and
made supreme. Varuna, the heavens;
Swrya, the sun; Indra, the atmosphere;
Aqui, fire; and other beings worshiped
as the Most High God. Infinite Spirit
appears to be embodied in every part
of nature"
The hymns of the Rig Veda ad-
dressed to Bruna, or the heavens, as
universal King, divine, of unbounded
knowledge, who has m ade heaven and
earth, who embraces in himself the
three worlds, who makes the sun to
shine, whose breath is the wind, who
makes the rivers to run forever to the
sea, whose ordinances are unchangea-
bic, whose messengers go through all
worlds.
In the religion of the Assyrians and
Babylonians, the ordinary titles of AS
shur are the General Lord, the King of
all the Gods, he who rules supreme
over the gods. He is also called occa-
sionally the Father of the Gods. These
titles set Asshur apart as supreme,
and the one infinite God, Creator and
Father. Other gods are worshiped,
but as inferior and subordinate, as local
gods representing the different forces
and powers of nature.
The evidence 1 have presented shows
conclusively that the first form of relig.
ion common to men was monotheism,
or faith in, and the worship of one God.
This faith and worship resulted from
the natural and direct exercise of mans
religious nature or faith faculty, the
function of which is, according to Max
Muller, to perceive or cognize the infin-
tie. Polytheism has grown up around,
or been grated upon this earlier faith
as the result of religious speculation.
Man wanted a visible symbol of the
invisible God, and in this way nature
worship sprang up. Nature is the man.
Hesitation of God, and at first man SO
understood and used it in his religion.
They worship nature as the visible
symbol, and manifestation of one in
finite God, just as scientists study ma
ture as revealing the unknown cause of
all phenomena.