into a fulcrum for the upheaving of the whole mass of surrounding error ? At all events, it may reasonahly be conceded that if nothing true or sound can be shown to underlie the rotten tissue of decaying religious systems, the truth of Christianity may at least in this manner be more clearly exhibited and its value by contrast made more conspicuous.
If, then, a comparison of the chief religions[1] of the world, and an attempt to sweep away the incrustations which everywhere obscure the points of contact between them, is becoming every day more incumbent upon us, surely Brahmanism, next to Judaism and Christianity, has the first claim on our attention, both from its connection with the religion of ancient Persia (said to have acted on Judaism during the captivity), and from its close relationship to Buddhism, the faith of about thirty-one per
- ↑ These are eight in number, as shown by Professor Max Miiller in his 'Science of Religion,' viz. i. Judaism, 2. Christianity, 3. Brahmanism, 4. Buddhism, 5. Zoroastriauism, 6. Islam; and the systems of the Chinese philosophers, viz. 7. Confucius (a Latinized form of Kung-fu-tsze, 'the sage of the family of Kung'), 8. Lau-tsze ('aged master or sage'); and these eight rest on eight sets of books, viz. i. the Old Testament, 2. the New Testament, 3. the Veda, 4. the Tri-pitaka, 5. the Zand-Avasta, 6. the Kuran, 7. the five volumes or King (viz. Yi, Shu, Shi, Li-ki, Chun-tsiu) and the four Shu or books, some of which were written by the philosopher Mencius (Mang-tsze), 8. the Tau-te-Kmg ('book of reason and virtue'); and are in seven languages, viz. i. Hebrew, 2. Greek, 3. Sanskrit, 4. Pah'i 5. Zand, 6. Arabic, and 7, 8. Chinese. Of these eight religions only four (the second, third, fourth, and sixth) are numerically important at the present day.
