Drawn between Religion and Ethics—Reasons why a
     Missionary should Pursue these Studies before Arriving on his
     Field—Reasons why the Ministry at Home Should Acquaint Themselves
     with Heathen Systems—Their Active Alliance with Various Forms of
     Western Infidelity—Intellectual Advantages to be Derived from such
     Studies—A Broader and Warmer Sympathy with Universal Humanity to
     be Gained—A Better Understanding of the Unique Supremacy of the
     Gospel as the Only Hope of the World—Pastors at Home are also
     Missionaries to the Heathen—They are Sharers in the Conflict
     through the Press.

LECTURE II.

THE METHODS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN DEALING WITH HEATHENISM 39

     The Coincidences of the Present Struggle with that of the First
     Christian Centuries—The Mediæval Missionary Work of a Simple
     Character—That of India, Japan, China, and the Turkish Empire a
     Severe Intellectual Struggle as well as a Spiritual
     Conquest—Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, present
     Obstacles and Resistances Similar to those of Ancient Greece and
     Rome—How far Contrasts Appear between the Early and the Present
     Conquests—The Methods of Paul—His Tact in Recognizing Truth
     wherever Found, and Using it for his Purpose—The Attitude of the
     Early Christian Fathers toward the Heathen—Augustine's
     Acknowledgment of the Good which he Received from Cicero and
     Plato—The Important Elements which Platonism Lacked, and which
     were Found Only in the Gospel of Christ—The Great Secret of Power
     in the Early Church Found in its Moral Earnestness, as Shown by
     Simplicity of Life, and especially by Constancy even Unto a
     Martyr's Death—The Contrast between the Frugality of the Early
     Church and the Luxury and Vice of Roman Society—The Great Need of
     this Element of Success at the Present Time—The Observance of a
     Wise Discrimination in the Estimate of Heathen Philosophy by the
     Great Leaders of the Early Church—The Generality with which
     Classical Studies were Pursued by the Sons of the more Enlightened
     Christian Fathers—Method Among the Leaders—The Necessity for a
     thorough Knowledge of the Systems to be Met, as it was then
     Recognized—The thorough Preparation of Augustine, Ambrose,
     Iræneus, and Others for their Work—Origen's Masterly and
     Successful Reply to Celsus—The Use Made by the Early Fathers and
     by the Churches of a Later Day, of the Philosophy of Plato and
     Aristotle—Heathenism thus Conquered with its Own Weapons.

LECTURE III.

THE SUCCESSIVE DEVELOPMENTS OF HINDUISM 73

     The Great Variety in India's Religious Systems—The Early
     Monotheistic Nature Worship and its Gradual Lapse Into
     Polytheism—The Influence of Environment on the Development of
     Systems—The Distinction between Aryanism and Brahmanism, and the
     Abuses of the Latter in its Doctrines of Sacrifice and Caste—The
     Causes which Led to the Overthrow of this System of
     Sacerdotalism—The Upanishads and the Beginnings of Philosophy—The
     Rise of Buddhism and the Six Schools of Philosophy—Points in
     Common between them—The Code of Manu and its Countercheck to
     Rationalism—Its Development and its Scope, its Merits and
     Demerits—The Meaning of the Word Hinduism as here Used and the
     Means by which it Gained Ascendency—The Place and Influence of the
     Two Great Hindu Epics, their Origin, the Compromise which they
     Wrought, and the New and Important Doctrines which They
     Developed—The Trimurti and the Incarnations of Vishnu—The
     Deterioration of the Literature and the Faith of India—The Puranas
     and the Tantras—The Parallels between Hinduism and Christianity.

LECTURE IV.

THE BHAGAVAD GITA AND THE NEW TESTAMENT 111

     The Great Interest Felt in this Poem by a Certain Class of
     Readers—Its Alleged Parallels to the Scriptures—The Plausibility
     of the Recent Translation by Mr. Mohini M. Chatterji—Its
     Patronizing Catholicity—The Same Claim to Broad Charity by Chunder
     Sen and Others—Pantheism Sacrifices nothing to Charity, because
     God is in All Things—All Moral Responsibility Ceases since God
     Acts in Us—Mr. Chatterji's Broad Knowledge of Our Scriptures, and
     his Skill in Selecting Passages for His Purpose—His Pleasing
     Style—The Story of Krishna and Arjuna Told in the Interest of
     Caste and Pantheism—The Growth of the Krishna Cult from Popular
     Legends—The Origin of the Bhagavad Gita and its Place in the
     Mahabharata—Its Use of the Six Philosophies—Krishna's
     Exhortation—The Issue of the Battle in which Arjuna is Urged to
     Engage—The "Resemblances" Explained by their Pantheistic
     Interpretation—Fancied Resemblances which are only in the Sound of
     Words—Coincidences Springing from Similar Causes—The Totally
     Different Meaning which Pantheism gives them—Difference between
     Union with Christ and the Pantheistic Pervasion of the
     Infinite—The Differentials of Christianity.

LECTURE V.

BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY 140

     New Interest in Old Controversies Concerning Buddhism—Max Müller's
     Reply to the Alleged Influence of the System on Christianity—The
     Distinction to be made between the Credible History of Gautama and
     Later Legends—The Legends of the Pre-existent States and the
     Wonders Attending the Earthly Life—The Northern and the Southern
     Buddhism—The Sources of the Principal Legends—The Four Principal
     Doctrines of Buddhism, Skandas, Trishna, Kharma, and
     Nirvana—Difficulties in the Doctrines of Kharma and
     Nirvana—Various Opinions of Scholars in Regard to the Nature of
     Nirvana—Buddha's Final Reticence on the Subject—The Real Goal at
     which the Average Buddhist Aims—The Need of a Careful Estimate of
     the Merits and Demerits of Buddhism, and of the Hold which it is
     likely to have on Western Minds—Its Points of Contact with Western
     Errors—The Fact that Modern Buddhism, like many other False
     Systems, Claims Christ as a Believer in its Principles—The Theory
     that the Life of Christ is Modelled after that of the Buddha—The
     Superior Authenticity of the Life of Christ—The Unreliable
     Character of Buddhist Legends—The Intrinsic Improbability that a
     Religion claiming a Distinct Derivation from Jewish Sources would
     Borrow from a far-off Heathen System—The Contrast of Christ's
     Loving Recognition of the Father in Heaven with the Avowed Atheism
     of Buddhism—The General Spirit of the System Forbids all