of its tenets was, that it could never become a religion of the state, and that the priests were never able to exercise any permanent influence over the populace. Besides, the Chinese are too rational to believe implicitly all the absurd Budhuistic fables, nor can they generally persuade themselves that their numerous images are gods. When we add to this their national apathy towards every thing concerning religion, from their being entirely engrossed by the affairs of this life, we can easily account for the disesteem in which they hold Budhuism."

The Confucians maintain that the doctrines of Fŏ unfit men for the active duties of life, by fixing their speculations so entirely on another state of existence, as to lead some fanatics to commit suicide, in order to anticipate futurity. The charge appears to be just; for the mental abstraction of the priests is so intense, that they have nearly all of them an expression approaching to idiotcy. One of their most famous professors is even said to have passed nine years with his eyes fixed upon a wall.

In their system of moral retribution the priests of Fo teach that what a man receives now is an indication of what he will receive hereafter; or, in other words, that he may augur his future condition from his behaviour in this life. Merit, however, seems to consist as much in inaction as action; in the abstinence from sin, as in the prac tice of virtue. Moreover, in one of their works, entitled "Merits and Demerits examined," their followers are directed to keep a debtor and creditor account with themselves of the acts of each day, and at the end of the year to wind it up.

If the balance is in his favour, it serves as a foundation of a stock of merits for the ensuing year; and if against him, it must be liquidated by future good deeds. It teaches them, in truth, to make up an account with Heaven, and demand the balance in bliss, or pay it by sufferings and penance.

This fallacious tenet of Budhuism is generally adopted by the Chinese, and it affords an analogy to the system of penances and indulgences in the Romish church: nor does the resemblance between the two religions stop here. They practise the ordinances of celibacy, fasting, and prayers for the dead; they have holy water, rosaries of beads, which they count with their prayers, the worship of relics, and a monastic habit resembling that of the Franciscans; and they likewise kneel before an idol called Tein-how, or queen of heaven.

These singular coincidences between the Roman Catholic religion and Budhuism led some of the Jesuit missionaries to conjecture, that the Chinese had received a glimpse of Romish Christianity, by the way of Tartary, from the Nestorians; while others supposed that St. Thomas himself had been among them; and others concluded that Satan had practised a trick upon his friends, the Jesuits! Gutzlaff speaks more rationally on the subject, thus:-"That they should count their prayers by means of a rosary, and chant masses for both the living and the dead; that they should live in a state of celibacy, shave their heads, fast, etc., might be perhaps accounted for, as a mere coincidence of errors into which men are prone to fall but their adoration of Tein-how, the ' queen

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of heaven,' called also Shing-moo, the holy mother,' must be a tenet engrafted upon Budhuism from foreign traditions. We are unable to fix the exact date of the adoption of this deity. There is a legend of modern date among the people of Fokien, which tells us that she was a virgin of that province, who in a dream saw her kindred in danger of being wrecked, and boldly rescued them; but this affords no satisfactory solution. It is likely that some degenerate Nestorian Christians amalgamated with their faith and ceremonies the prevailing errors of China, and caused the priests of Budhu to adopt many of their rites." This writer saw a marble bust of Napoleon, before which incense was burnt in a temple; whence he remarks, that it would not be extraordinary if they had also adopted among their other idols such a conspicuous object of worship as the Virgin is among Roman Catholics.

This supposition seems to be corroborated by the fact, that the Saviour himself is ranked among the number of Chinese gods! This is proved by the following history of Christ, as translated by Dr. Milne, from a work entitled, "A complete History of Gods and Genii:" a work which was compiled in twenty-two octavo volumes, in the reign of the immortal Kang-he. "The extreme western nations say, that at the distance of ninety-seven thousand ly* from China, a journey of about three years, commences the border of Sy-keang. In that country there was formerly

*The ly, or Chinese mile, is equal to 1,897 English feet. The distance from China to Palestine, therefore, according to the notion of the Chinese, is about 30,000 English miles.

a virgin named Ma-le-a. In the first year of Yuen-chy, in the dynasty Hăn, a celestial god reverently announced to her, saying, 'The Lord of heaven has selected thee to be his mother.' Having finished his discourse, she actually conceived, and afterwards bore a son. The mother, filled with joy and reverence, wrapped him in a cloth, and laid him in a manger. A flock of celestial gods (angels) sang and rejoiced in the void space. Forty days after, his mother presented him to the holy teacher, and named him Yay-soo. When twelve years of age, he followed his mother to worship in the holy place. turning home they lost each other. days' search, coming into the palace, she saw Yaysoo sitting on an honourable seat, conversing with aged and learned doctors, about the works and doctrines of the Lord of heaven. Seeing his mother, he was glad, returned with her, and served her with the utmost filial reverence. When

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After three

thirty years of age he left his mother and teacher, and travelling to the country of Yu-teh-a, taught men to do good. The sacred miracles which he wrought were very numerous. The chief families and those in office in that country, being proud and wicked in the extreme, envied him for the multitude of those who joined themselves to him, and planned to slay him. Among the twelve disciples of Yay-soo, there was a covetous one, named Yu-tah-sze. Aware of the wish of the greater part of his countrymen, and seizing on a proffered gain, he led forth a multitude at night, who, taking Yay-soo, bound him, and carried him before Ana-sze, in the court-house of Pelah-to. Rudely stripping off his garments, they tied him

to a stone pillar, inflicting on him upwards of 5,400 stripes, until his whole body was torn and mangled; but still he was silent, and like a lamb remonstrated not. The wicked rabble, taking a cap made of piercing thorns, pressed it forcibly down on his temples. They hung a vile red cloak on his body, and hypocritically did reverence to him as a king. They made a very large and heavy machine of wood, resembling the character ten, or an upright cross, which they compelled him to bear on his shoulders. The whole way it sorely pressed him down, so that he moved and fell alternately. His hands and feet were nailed to the wood, and being thirsty, a sour and bitter drink was given him. When he died, the heavens were darkened, the earth shook; the rocks striking against each other, were broken into small pieces. He was then aged thirty-three years. On the third day after his death, he again returned to life, and his body was splendid and beautiful. He appeared first to his mother, in order to remove her sorrow. Forty days after, when about to ascend to heaven, he commanded his disciples, in all a hundred and two, to separate and go every where under heaven to teach, and administer a sacred water, to wash away the sins of those who should join their sect. Having finished his commands, a flock of ancient holy ones followed him up to the celestial kingdom. Ten days after, a celestial god descended, to receive his mother, who also ascended up on high. Being set above the nine orders, she became the empress of heaven and earth, and the protectress of human beings."