160 
point out, that this leads them to the acknowledgment of a personal God, 
and then build up the superstructure of a subsequent revelation of God 
in Christianity * On that point, I think, Bishop Claughton misunderstood 
Professor Chandler’s letter. Bishop Claughton says, “ I believe the sense of 
right and wrong is the strongest evidence we can have of the existence of a 
God.” But that is what Professor Chandler says. Professor Chandler says 
that’ taking the relative probability of evidence, there is more certainty of 
a distinction between right and wrong than there is of the existence of God ; 
and, therefore, if you are to begin on a sound and solid basis, you must 
accept the basis of right and wrong as admitted by Buddhism, and proceed 
from that with your superstructure, and not begin with the assumption of 
God and of revelation. This is a very important and difficult question, and 
deserves patient consideration. If, however, you take Professor Chandler s 
basis, remember that you start with this advantage : you may acknowledge 
that Buddhism, which obtains the assent of a majority of the human race, 
has obtained it on a just and right basis, and that, so far as it goes without 
revelation, so far it is good and true. You are not going to attempt to over- 
throw this element in it ; quite the contrary ; but you say these people have 
advanced, by their own unaided light, to a very great degree of excellence, 
and you are able, by the special assistance of a revelation, to lead them 
on further. That offers a very powerful position for us to take up, and I 
hope it will be carefully considered in any society like this, or by any body 
of men who have to deal with the heathens. (Cheers.) 
Mr. Sinclair.— I think it is a matter for regret that we have no, 
representatives of Buddhism, or at least of Pantheism, here to-night. It 
strikes me that there is very little of real substantial difference between 
Pantheism as we find it in Buddhism, and as it exists and prevails very 
extensively, I think, in modern Europe. Without undertaking to represent 
that system as one who believes in it, it seems to me obvious that a system 
of belief which has obtained such extensive acceptance amongst the human 
race, and decidedly also amongst men of intellect and of learning, must 
contain some elements of truth ; some things which it would be well for 
Christians to know and to understand. If I am right m supposing that 
there are in it elements of truth, it seems to me obvious that m order to 
refute the errors of Pantheism, and put our Christianity in a proper position 
for having a paramount claim on man’s faith, we must understand and 
assimilate those elements of truth and goodness which I assume Pantheism 
to contain. I will not define clearly what those elements of truth m Pan- 
theism are, but I will indicate vaguely some of the things it seems to con- 
tain, which have a kind of fascination for the human mind, and account for 
its acceptance by so many men of intelligence and learning. There is some- 
thing very charming in the view of nature which it gives as pervaded in an 
especial sense by Divinity. I cannot enlarge upon it, I simply have a 
slight sense of fascination and of poetry in contemplating that point of 
* Acts xvii. 23. 
