The world's religions : a popular account of religions ancient and modern, including those of uncivilised races, Chaldaeans, Greeks, Egyptions, Romans; Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedanism, and a sketch of the history of Judaism and Christianity / by G.T. Bettany.

  • Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas), 1850-1891.
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The world's religions : a popular account of religions ancient and modern, including those of uncivilised races, Chaldaeans, Greeks, Egyptions, Romans; Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedanism, and a sketch of the history of Judaism and Christianity / by G.T. Bettany. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    135/926 (page 121)
    I TKe early celebrated minister of crime, Kao-yao, gave wise counsels to them, placing the sovereign’s chief hope in the steadfast pursuit of personal virtue. He enumerates nine virtues in conduct, viz,, affability counsels of combined with dignity; mildness combined with firmness; Kao-yao. bluntness with respectfulness; aptness for government with reverent caution; docility combined with boldness; straightforwardness with gentleness; an easy negligence with discrimination; boldness with sin- cerity ; and valour combined with righteousness. Kao-yao ascribes the social relationships and duties to Heaven, which graciously distinguishes the virtuous and punishes the guilty. We must only note some of the religious references in the Shu-king. Thus we read that to revere and honour the path prescribed by Heaven is the way ever to preserve the favouring appointment of “ The great God has conferred even on the inferior people a moral ments of sense. ... To make them tranquilly pui’sue the course which it would indicate, is the work of the sovereign. The way of Heaven is to bless the good, and make the bad miserable.” Thang, the first emperor of a new dynasty, b.c. 1766, represents him- self as commissioned by Heaven to make an end of the criminality of the previous dynasty. He requested the favour of Heaven on his en- terprise, and for his new dynasty. His inaugural address shows the Powers that he was deeply anxious not to offend against the Powers above. As for his people or princes, the good in them he will not dare to conceal; the evil in himself he will not dare to forgive himself. “ I will examine these things,” he says, “ in harmony with the mind of God. When guilt is found anywhere in you who occupy the myriad regions, let it rest on me, the One Man. When guilt is found in me, the One Man, it shall not attach to you.” In correspondence with these. lofty sentiments, there is a tradition about Thang, that after his accession to the throne, there was a great drought followed by famine. A suggestion was made in accordance with the principle mentioned in our Introduction (p. 16), that , /7 jjg desires to some human sacrifice was necessary, and that rain should be sacrifice prayed for. Thang answered, “ If a man must be the victim, I Kimseif. will be he.” After fasting, and cutting off his hair and nails, he proceeded in a plain carriage drawn by white horses (^.e. of the Chinese mourning colour), decked in rushes as a sacrifice, to a forest of mulberry-trees, where he prayed, asking to what fault of his the drought was owing. Before he had concluded, abundance of rain fell. The title of “ the One Man,” used of Thang, had already come into use as a special designation of the emperor. The Instructions of I-yin, minister of Thang’s grandson, contain little beyond the ancient truths. He says that Heaven has no partial affection ; only to those who are reverent does it show affection. The spirits do not always accept the sacrifices that are offered to them; of they accept 011I3' the sacrifices of the sincere. A virtuous sovereign is spoken of as the fellow of God, who rules on earth as He rules above. In retiring from office, I-yin said that it was difficult to rely on Heaven, for