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Oopunishuds of the Vedant, which have already been translated into English. Moonduk, ch. 1. sect 1: "By him who knows all things collectively and distinctly, whose knowledge and will are the only means of his actions, Bruhma, name, and form, and all that vegetates, are produced." Kuthu, ch. 5:“God is eternal, among all the perishable universe and is the source of sensation among all animate existences; and he alone assigns to so many objects their respective purposes," Kenopunishud: "In a battle between the celestial gods, and the demons, God enabled the former to defeat the latter." And Ishopunishud: "He overspreads all creatures, is merely spirit without the form either of a minute body or of an extended one, which is liable to impression or organization. He is pure, perfect, omniscient, the Ruler of the intellect, omnipresent, and the self-existent. He has from eternity been assigning to all creatures their respective purposes." For further evidence, if required, I beg to refer the Reviewer to the rest of the original Vedant works that may be found in the College Library and in the Missionary stores of books. It is, however, very true, that the Vedant declares very often its total ignorance of the real nature and attributes of God. Kenopunishud, ver. 3: "Hence no vision can approach him, no language can describe him, no intellectual power can compass or determine him; we know nothing how the Supreme Being should be explained," &c. It also repre

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sents God sometimes in a manner familiar to the understanding of the vulgar. Moonduk, ch. 7, sect. 1"Heaven is the head, and the sun and the moon are his eyes; space is his ears," &c. But such declarations are not peculiar to the Vedant doctrines, as these are found frequently in the sacred Scriptures. Job xxxvi. 26: "Behold God is great, and we know him not;" "touching the Almighty we cannot find him out; his greatness is unsearchable." The Scriptures also represent God in the same familiar and figurative manner as is found in the Vedant. God is affirmed to have made man in his own image, after his own likeness. The angels always behold God's face in heaven. In the Old Testament, as well as in the New, God is represented as repenting of his works, as being moved with anger, vexation, grief, joy, love, and hate: as moving from place to place; having arms, with hands and fingers; a head, with face, mouth, tongue, eyes, nose, ears, a heart, bowels, back, thighs, legs; as seeing, being seen, speaking and hearing, slumbering, waking, &c. No one capable of sound reasoning can for a moment imagine that these or any other descriptions of God are intended to convey literal notions of the unsearchable incomprehensible Being.

May God render religion destructive of differences and dislike between man and man, and conducive to the peace and union of mankind.Amen.

TO

THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC,

IN DEFENCE OF THE

"PRECEPTS OF JESUS."

BY

RAMMOHUN ROY.

FROM THE LONDON EDITION.

NEW-YORK:

PUBLISHED BY B. BATES, 380 BROADWAY.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE Contents of the following Treatise are included under these two propositions:-1st, That the Precepts of Jesus, which teach that love to God is manifested in beneficence towards our fellow-creatures, are a sufficient Guide to Peace and Happiness; and 2ndly, That that omnipresent God, who is the only proper object of religious veneration, is one and undivided in person.

Though these doctrines, as I conceive them to be alike founded on reason and revelation, appear to me to be almost as obvious thruths as any abstract axium, yet they are opposed in fact by a very large body of writers and teachers. I must therefore leave them to be decided upon by those, who will be pleased to bestow their candid and liberal attention on the arguments I have used in the succeeding pages ;-and on their impartial judgment I confidently rely.

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