is, shortly after the foundation of Rome. In one noteworthy sentence in this book, Confucius speaks of the Divine Being ' a's "God all-wise, equitable, and one."

But we must bring to a close this brief sketch of the Four Books and Five Classics, remembering that there is not an educated man in China who could not repeat the whole nine books from memory. From the time that competitive examinations were introduced in the year 631 A.D., they have constituted the sole subjects for examination. Thus for upwards of twelve hundred years, the nine Confucian Classicshave been the main study of every generation of Chinamen from childhood to old age. One has well said: "The effect of this complete absorption of the Confucian system into the national character has been to maintain the influence of the

sage as powerfully, or even more powerfully, than ever. Buddhism and Taouism have found their adherents almost entirely among the uneducated classes, and even these reject all doctrines which are inconsistent with the teachings of Confucius. No educated man would admit for a moment that he was a follower of either of the above-mentioned religions; to him Confucius is guide, philosopher, and friend, and though. fully recognised by him as a man, is worshipped as a god." · In the eighteen provinces there are one thousand five hundred and sixty temples dedicated to the worship of Confucius, and' in these temples, sixty-six thousand animals are offered every year to his spirit. The feeling of the Chinese people isundoubtedly expressed in the following lines, which form part of the sacrificial ritual:

"Confucius! Confucius! How great is Confucius!
Before Confucius, there never was a Confucius !

Since Confucius, there never has been a Confucius!
Confucius! Confucius! How great is Confucius."

That Confucius was a remarkable man there can be no doubt, and his humility was one of his most striking characteristics. He always disclaimed originality, and declared that all his teaching was derived from the ancients, for whom he entertained the profoundest veneration.

“A transmitter and not a maker, believing in and loving the ancients." "I was not born a man of knowledge; I am naturally only quick to search out the truth from a love for the wisdom of the ancients."

"I am not virtuous enough to be free from anxieties; nor wise enough to be free from perplexities; and not bold enough to be free from fear."

"In the way of the superior man there are four things, to not one of which have I as yet attained. To serve my father as I would require my son to serve me; To serve my prince as I would require my minister to serve me; To serve my elder brother as I would require my younger brother to serve me; To behave to my friend as I would require him to behave to me."

"Shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; this is knowledge."

According to Confucius, the first of all virtues, whether in a son or in a subject, is filial piety. It is this which distinguishes man from brutes; it is this which recognises the true relation between child and parent. "Filial piety consists in serving one's parents when alive, according to propriety; in burying them when dead, according to propriety; and sacrificing to them, according to propriety." "Of all things," said Confucius, "which derive their natures from heaven and earth, man is the most noble; and of all the duties that are incumbent on him, there is none greater than filial obedience; nor in performing this is there anything so essential as to reverence one's father; and, as a mark of reverence, there is nothing more important than to place him on an equality with heaven. Thus did the Lord of Chow; he sacrificed on the round altar to the spirits of his remote ancestors, as equal with heaven; and in the open hall he sacrificed to King Wan (his father), as equal with Shang-ti." This is one of the innumerable passages, which enjoin the duty of ancestral worship, which may now well be called the religion of the Chinese, for Confucianist, Taouist, and Buddhist, alike all rear the shrine for the ancestral tablets, and worship at the graves of the departed. This extract shows that, according to Confucius, a man ought to place his father on an equality with God, and the following incident will show that there are Chinese in our own day who strive to carry this principle into practice.

Only a few years ago a man in Canton committed a murder, and a warrant was issued for his arrest; but before he could be found, his son, a young man about twenty years of age, went to the magistrate and said, "I committed the murder." The son was arrested, tried, and, on his own confession, condemned to death. Soon all the people in Canton knew what had been done, and it was the one topic of conversation in the city.

* Journal Vict. Inst., "Ancestral Worship," vol. xxxvi, p. 67.

When the day came for him to be beheaded, thousands of people accompanied the procession to the execution ground to see the young man die, to see the son die to save his father's life. Every one knew the young man was innocent, the magistrate knew it, the people knew it, but not a voice was raised in his behalf. No one would deprive him of the honour of carrying out, to the fullest extent, the teaching of his great master. He died and his father was free. Nowhere but in China could such a scene be witnessed. One result would undoubtedly follow, the magistrate would be promoted, because it could only be owing to his virtue that there was such an excellent young man in the district.

On the subject of spirits, as on all matters relating to heavenly things, Confucius seems rather inconsistent. His mind was wrapped up in the things of this earth, and he looked upon all such subjects as obscure and unprofitable. 'Spirits are to be respected," he said, "but to be kept at a distance." Yet we are told "he sacrificed to the dead, as though they were present, and to the spirits as though they were before him."

But we must draw this short sketch of Confucius and his teaching to a close. Every student of Confucius must hold his personal character in high estimation. The narrative of few men's lives would be so free from vice, and so full of that which must be commended as right and good. But while we are forced to confess that there is very much to be admired in the Confucian system, especially compared with other idolatrous religions, we must not forget that there are many serious defects. One writer has summed them up as follows:

"No relation to a living God is recognised. It knows no mediator between God and man. It is devoid of any deep insight into sin or moral evil. Truthfulness is not urged, but rather the reverse. Polygamy is presupposed and tolerated. Polytheism is sanctioned. Fortune telling, choosing of days, etc., are believed in. Filial piety is exaggerated into the deification of parents. All rewards are expected in this life. No comfort is offered to ordinary mortals either in this life or the next."

Certainly we can only say of the Confucianists of to-day as St. Paul said of some in old time, "Having no hope and without God in the world."

DISCUSSION.

The CHAIRMAN.-We are very deeply indebted to the lecturer for this very instructive and delightful paper. In the present day there has been started what has been regarded as another subject of study, entitled that of comparative religion. I do not think that we who hold to the Christian faith need in the slightest degree be concerned with such a study as that. The paper has given to us some little insight into Confucianism, which will enable us to see its manifold defects; defects which are supplied by that system of faith which it is our privilege and blessing to hold. One cannot help being struck, however, with the excellent philosophical principles which appear in the teaching of Confucius here and there. Philosophy, of course, is an extremely valuable subject for the training and cultivation of the mind of man in every age and under all kinds of circumstances; but it is evident, from the experiences of the Chinese nation, that it is not such a study as enables the human understanding to progress to the extent which it needs progress. The stagnation of the Chinese nation, I think, can be understood better now that we have such a paper before us, telling us what their study has been, and how their minds have been contracted into the narrow channels of the thoughts of Confucius. As the paper has so very well remarked, it leaves man in a condition of serious want and makes no provision for the supply of that want. The man who is a bad man appears to have little or no hope held out to him by the Confucian system of philosophy or religion, in whichever way we may think it should be regarded. That which is so serious a defect in the Chinese philosophy and religion is only supplied adequately by the Christian faith. I was very glad to hear from the reader of the paper of the position which Christianity is now occupying in that great and important nation. We shall doubtless hear more of the Chinese nation in years to come than we have in the past. The Yellow Peril is one that we need not concern ourselves greatly about, but if there is one way by which the Yellow Peril may be avoided more than another, it is by the circulation of that truth which their present system of thought and life so earnestly claims

from us, and which is so wanting in their present faith and education.

The subject is now open for discussion.

Professor ORCHARD.--I am sure we owe our gratitude to the able and learned author of this paper for putting before us in so interesting a manner the character and teaching of one of the most remarkable ethical reformers and philosophers who ever trod the earth. Confucianism does not make good its claim to be a religion. A religion, as its derivation implies, is the re-binding of the human spirit to the great I AM. It is the restored relationship of man to God. The original fellowship has been lost by sin. If a man is to be restored to fellowship with God, that sin must be done away with. The great problem of any true religion is this, how to do away with sin. True religion is religion "before God and the Father," but Confucianism makes no remedy for sin. It enjoins some virtues, but it never rises higher than filial piety. If you do not rise higher than filial piety you do not raise man above his natural level. You do not restore the lost communion and fellowship with God.

Confucianism then does not deserve to be called a religion. It is not a religion. It is a system of philosophy undoubtedly, and we may concede this, I think fairly, to Confucius that he was a great ethical reformer and philosopher. At the bottom of page 57 and the beginning of page 58, Confucius himself admits the failure of his system. He admits that his system does not (even in his own case) soar far above the ordinary man of his days. He admits that his system does not free from anxieties, nor free from perplexities, nor free from fear. He admits further there are four things which he ought to do, but which his system does not enable him to do, namely, "To serve my father as I would require my son to serve me; To serve my prince as I would require my minister to serve me; To serve my elder brother as I would require my younger brother to serve me; To behave to my friend as I would require him to behave to me." He admits then that with regard to the relationships of father, subject, brother and friend, his system is a failure,-a failure in his own case, yet he was head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. There are one or two questions that I author of this paper. One is on page 47.

would like to ask the It appears that before