ed and vested in the descendants of Aaron. From which, it appears that PU-SA was Moses, to whom FOE gave the dispensation, which was to endure until" the age of mercy should arrive ;" and that FOE was the true Messiah who, in the fulness of time, came and gave his last dispensation, which may be truly called, "the age of mercy." The book PU-SA concludes by asserting that FOE was anciently understood by the Chinese to possess those attributes which are only applicable to Divinity himself: "Foe is capable of endless trausformation. There is no place to which he cannot go; he can understand all things:" consequently, it will appear that this ancient Chinese collection, which is translated by the above-named Gentleman, and published with the sanction of the Missionary society, is, as to meaning and application, MOSES SPEAKING IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE. And when these things are thus explained, agreeably to the manners, and usages of this vast population, consistently with their own writings, it will lay a firm foundation for the reception of the sacred scriptures which are now disseminating among this people.

The doctrine of a trinity is very obvious in their writings: "They speak of three appearances of Fo; the first, Nan-mo-o-mi-toe-fo, 'who presided over the state of things that preceded the present heaven

and earth.' The second, Nan-mo-she-kia-meu-niwen-fo; 'the lord of religion during the middle heaven;' that is, the present state of things. The third, Nan-mo-mi-le-tsun-fo; who shall appear on the state of things which shall succeed the present."" The last chapter of the Chinese treatise concludes with a highly-finished period concerning the infinite and incomprehensible Jehovah, which shows that their ideas of God are consistent with the pure theology of ancient times.

How great is the supreme Fo

Not made! yet existing !—

The end of creations and annihilations-and them beginning!

Before the earth, and before the heaven!

Light and glory unite around him!

The foregoing names are said, in this treatise, to be "in a foreign dialect, and unintelligible to the Chinese." However, by a close examination, I find that they are literally derived from the Hebrew. The first signifies, as above, the Divine being, in his eternal habitation before the creation of this world; the second, the Divine being, after creation, proclaiming himself to be the lord of religion, to the end of this world: the third, the Divine being who shall appear in the state of things which is to succeed

1 From Jao. i. e. Jehovah.

the present. So that father Ricci, who resided in China many years, and taught that their religion, when first established, was consistent with the religion of the Bible, and reconcilable to the doctrines of Confucius, was perfectly right; he gained very many followers, and had not the Dominicans and Franciscans interfered, by order of Pope Innocent in 1648, great success would have attended their endeavours. The Chinese would undoubtedly at this day have had a great veneration for the Bible.

The followers of LAO-KIUN, who appeared about 600 years before Christ, inculcate the practice of a moral philosophy; they teach the necessity of subduing the passions; they call themselves, the immortals, meaning the immortality of the soul. LAO-KIUN was a profound philosopher; it was, says Mr. Maurice, in that valuable work the Indian Antiquities, in Lao-kiun's system, of philosophical theology, and a sentence which he continually repeated as the foundation of all true wisdom, that Fo the eternal Reason produced ONE; one produced Two; two produced THREE; and THREE produced all things. A clearer description of the eternal trinity in unity could not be given by any christian. But his followers, however, have introduced many absurdities altogether inconsistent with

the doctrines taught by him. Images have been introduced in their worship, originally intended to signify the good and evil passions, which are now reverenced by the lower orders. This has been a misapplication of that part of scripture, where images of different creatures were shown to the prophet to signify the affections, and which, withont doubt, at that period, viz. in the time of the prophets, found its way into China.

THE RELIGION OF CHINESE TARTARY

The em

Is much the same as that of China. peror, who descended from the Tartars, from motives of state policy resides six months in China, and six months in Tartary, where the court and the nobility also attend. So that the established religion is the same; though different sects are allowed to worship in their own way, provided they do not interfere with the established order of the govern

ment.

In Russian Tartary, they inculcate the doctrine and practice of the Greek church. And the inhabitants of

MOGUL AND INDEPENDENT TARTARY

Profess the HINDOO, the MAHOMETAN, the GREEK, and the POPISH religions. In that part of Tartary, called Thibet, a vast extent of country, they have a representative idol called the GRAND LAMA. But the SCHAMAN professors, whose doctrines are much the same as those of the followers of Confucius in China, are the most numerous.

THE WORSHIP OF THE PEOPLE OF THOSE COUNTRIES KNOWN TO US BY THE NAME OF

THE EAST INDIES,

Is of various kinds, but they all agree in this one great truth: that there is one God, who created all things, who rewards the good, and punishes the wicked.

The Indians are descended from a very ancient origin; like their Persian neighbours, they may be traced back to the immediate descendants of Noah; and like them they had just notions concerning the worship of the God of heaven. This worship was