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evidence. Now, I do not think the theories shadowed out by Max Muller 
are much better than those of Jacob Bryant. They appear to me to be 
vague and obscure in the highest degree, and the fact remains, and has to be 
grappled with, that here is a high and ancient civilization the origin of which 
is entirely unknown — unknown, I mean, to us : let those who can find out 
anything about it, tells us.* Until we know something of the origin of these 
Vedas, we shall not be able to make anything like a “ science of religion” in 
the sense of Professor Max Muller. In our actual dealings with Buddhism, 
we have to take a series of wonderful leaps through very dark centuries, and 
then come suddenly at last into the blaze of finished speculations which 
would have appalled Kant. I cannot bridge over the gulf which separates 
the religion as now existing from the religion as it must have existed some 
600, or even 300, years before Uhrist. That is a matter on which I should 
be glad if to-night we could have the opinion of Bishop Claughton. Sooner 
or later, certainly we shall have to deal with this subject in a practical way. 
The visit of Chunder Sen to this country a year or two ago brought us in 
close contact with the last development of the Indian mind. His disciples 
are now forming a religion which is called Brahmoism, in which they 
regard Christ as a moral teacher, just as they would Brahma as another 
moral teacher. They are endeavouring to form a sort of religion in some 
sense apart from Christianity, and I understand they have had a success 
larger than that given to some of our missionaries. The Brahmo theory is 
intelligible certainly to those who carefully study it ; but the theory put 
before us in “Science of Religion” within the last few years does not 
seem to be even intelligible, though some of us have tried earnestly to 
master it. There are many who do know Sanskrit, and some who 
speak with an air of authority ; and they ought to tell us the theories 
they deduce from their facts, and examine the origin of that Indian system 
of religious philosophy, the working of which we are now seeing, and the 
condition of which we are obliged to deal with. The Archbishop of Canterbury 
said not long ago, that if we do not undertake in real earnest the conversion 
of these heathen to Christ, there are some among them who will soon under- 
take the conversion of some of us to heathenism. We had therefore better 
grapple with the subject! in time, and I would now ask your lordship to 
enlighten us further upon it. (Cheers.) 
* We are reminded by these remarks of the discoveries of Dr. Schliemarm 
at the hill of Hassarlik : a shaft pierced five strata — each considered as indi- 
cating the presence of different peoples The first, 6 feet thick, “ was that 
of the later Ilium ” ; the second, of 7 feet, indicated a people living in 
wooden houses, and using bronze implements ; the third, 10 feet thick, 
people using flint implements, such as are now referred to the stone age ; 
the fourth a very thick layer, showed a people in an advanced stage of 
civilization, living in houses built of unbaked bricks ; the fifth, at a depth 
of 46 feet, was 6 feet thick, indicated a people living in hewn stone 
houses and using pottery of superior quality, and of much elegance of 
form. — E d. 
