66

judices are insurmountable? They have never attempted to overcome them!-M. Dubois confesses, that-during a period of twentyfive years that he has familiarly conversed with them, lived among them as their Religious Teacher and Spiritual Guide-he would hardly dare to affirm that he has anywhere met a sincere Christian. "In embracing the Christian Religion," he says, they very seldom heartily renounce their leading superstitions, towards which they always entertain a secret bent, which does not fail to manifest itself in the several occurrences of life; and in many circumstances, where the precepts of their Religion are found to be in opposition to their leading usages, they rarely scruple to overlook the former, and conform themselves to the latter:" (p. 63.) Can this be matter of surprise, even to the Abbé himself? Every impartial observer will see, that such is precisely the effect that might have been anticipated, from the temporising policy of the Jesuit Missionaries in the East.

Since, however, the Abbé Dubois thinks they were justified in adopting those expedients by the examples recorded in the sacred page, (p. 6.) it will be right to inquire, how far the conduct of our Lord and His

Apostles may be considered as establishing a precedent for this mode of proceeding, in our endeavours to propagate the Gospel.

We have seen that the Jesuits thought the favourable opinion of the Brahmins indispensable to their success; and that they, therefore, in the first instance, endeavoured to gain their countenance.

For the same reason, it would have been politic in our Lord and His Apostles to court the Scribes and Pharisees; for they also, as already shewn, were "the polished part of the nation," and "leaders of the public opinion." But, so far from paying any deference to those haughty Sects, Jesus Christ availed himself of every opportunity to humble their pride. Even the Harbinger of our Lord, when announcing to the Jews the speedy approach of the Kingdom of Heaven, boldly rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees, when he saw them coming to his baptism, and "said unto them, 'O generation of vipers! who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Instead of flattering them, as the rulers of the public opinion, he tells them plainly, that no distinc'tions of which they boasted, no, not even their natural descent from Abraham, would recommend them to God, unless they brought

forth fruits meet for repentance: (Matt. iii. 7-9.) Jesus Christ reproves them still more sharply, (Id. xii. 34.) and denounces against them the most tremendous judgments. "Ye serpents! ye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell" (Id. xxiii. 33-36.) So far was He from being induced, by their exalted station and influence, to conciliate their minds, that He refused to give them a sign, when they requested one: (Id. xii. 38—40. xvi. 1-4.) He taught in parables, that they might not understand lessons which He intended for persons of inferior rank and importance: (Id. xiii. 11, &c.) Upon their demanding by what authority He acted, He refused to satisfy them, unless upon conditions with which they found it unsafe to comply: (Luke xx. 1—8.) Instead of appearing among them in the character of a Rabbi, which He might have done without having recourse to the duplicity.which the Jesuits practised upon the Hindoos, He assumed a low origin; selected a city of no reputation for His birth-place; chose to be nurtured in another of still less esteem, though thereby their objections would be strengthened against His person and office: (John vii. 41-53. See also Luke xvii.

20, 21.) Even His own countrymen were offended with Him, for the same reason: (Matt. xiii. 54-57. Mark vi. 3.)

Our Lord knew that this behaviour would provoke the Pharisees, and other persons of respectability, to seek His death; and that they would succeed. Some of His Disciples seem to have been amazed at the freedom with which He spake; and to have thought, that He could not be aware how greatly He was offending those, towards whom worldly policy would have dictated a more conciliatory deportment. But He corrects their misapprehension, and takes pains to make them understand that He acted upon better principles (Matt. xv. 12-20.) Peter, disappointed at his Lord's prediction of the many things He was about to suffer from the Elders, and Chief-priests, and Scribes, even unto death, "took Him, and began to rebuke Him; saying, 'Be it far from Thee, Lord! this shall not be unto Thee.' But He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offence unto Me :" Why? "for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men :" (Id. xvi. 21—23. xvii. 12, 22, 23. xx. 17-19. Mark viii. 31-33. &c.) Peter, at this moment under the influence of the god of this world, would have

suggested to his Master a mode of proceeding like that which the Jesuits have pursued in India; for this, he hoped, would ensure for Him and His Disciples a more favourable reception. But our Lord's sharp rebuke of that Apostle teaches us, that such measures proceed from motives inconsistent with the principles of the Gospel, and in opposition to that disinterestedness and impartiality with which it is to be proclaimed. This Peter well understood, when under the influence of the Holy Ghost: (Acts ii. iii. iv. and x.)

Our Lord's example, in this respect, may be placed in a still more striking point of view. There is not a greater difference between the Brahmin and Pariah, or even Chuckler, than there was between the Pharisees and Samaritans. The latter were regarded by all the Israelites as the most odious of men; despised by them, under the notion that they were possessed by the Devil; and all intercourse with them was carefully avoided. Yet we find, that Christ conversed with a Samaritan Harlot, and with all her countrymen who resorted to Him for instruction, as freely as with a Pharisee-a Master and Teacher in Israel: (John iii. and iv.)

In short, Jesus Christ neither rejected nor