for him.

If thou hast this idea "I shall escape the pains of hell because of devotion;" then hear! It is not called devotional to repeat four riwa,its 2 with the mouth, but true devotion is called the subduing of one's own heart. Thou, on the contrary, with the intoxication of sovereignty, art keeping on puffing up thy heart. Look! thou, for the pleasure of thy heart, hast killed thy own father and brothers. What sort of devotion is this? If thou hast this conceit, "The Prophet will save me from the fire of Hell;" then listen! All the prophets have said thus, "We shall save those who shall obey our precepts, that is, who abandon wickedness, and come back to good deeds." Then, when thou dost not even conform to his injunctions, how will the Prophet save thee?

Therefore, remember, that for thee punishment is ready in the presence of God. If thou hast this pride, "I am firm in the law of the Prophet, because, by pulling down Vaishnava temples and Saiva temples I have caused the abandonment of idolatry;" then listen! Thou hast not caused it to be abandoned, but thou hast increased idolatry; because, formerly, when temples were in existence, the Hindus were certain that when they wished they could come and worship; but now that thou hast pulled down the temples, all the Hindus have put idols in each individual house, because until they worship, they neither eat nor drink. If thou hast this pride, "People honour me;" then listen! Self-seekers praised even Pharaoh, but he did not escape from the fire of Hell at the last. If thou hast this hope, "God who is compassionate will save me through kindness;" then listen! If thou hast not shown kindness to the people, -nay, if thou standest prepared to injure them, how should God show kindness to thee? This can never be, that one should plant a poison-tree and expect to eat mangoes. It is rather thus, that whatsoever seed a man sows, he obtains only corresponding fruit.

IV.

THE FINAL PUNISHMENT AND REWARD.

1. The empty body is fearsome when the soul departs from it; the burning fire is extinguished, smoke issues not from it, the five (elements), filled with pain, have wept, destroyed by the second con

1 That is, his condemnation is greater than that of those who do not read the Word.

2 Forms of Muhammadan prayer.

1

dition. O fool, pray to God, remembering his excellence. Egotism and selfishness are fascinating; everything is ruined by conceit.

2. They who, engaged in some other occupation, have forgotten the Name (of God) by attachment to duality2 they are consumed and dead; within them is the fire of thirst. Those preserved by the Teacher are saved; others are cheated and deceived by their occupations.

3. Dead is friendship, love is gone, dead are enmity and opposition; occupation is exhausted, the ego is dead, (so is) the delusion of self-hood and anger. By deeds the True One is obtained; the disciple is always in restraint.

4. By true work the True One is obtained; by the counsel of the Teacher He is obtained. That man is neither born, nor dies, nor comes, nor goes. O Nânak! the first at the door will be rewarded with honour in the Court (of God).3

1 That is, when the next state after this life has brought on dissolution of the chemical constituents of humanity, all its activities being suppressed, how fearsome is the empty carcass of one who has lost his opportunities of doing his duty.

2 Duality is the belief that there is something else than God; thirst implies insatiable covetousness.

3 That is, the true man is released from further transmigrations; and he who is most cager in the service of God will be specially rewarded.

B. BRAHMO-SOMA J.

I.

THE NEW DISPENSATION.

Let us sing the glory of the New Dispensation, the latest Revelation of our heavenly Father unto us. His children and servants in India.

Blessed are they who believe in the New Gospel, for they shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The New Dispensation is the harmony of all scriptures and all saints and all sects.

It is the harmony of reason and faith, of inspiration and science, of devotion and duty.

It is the harmony of the ascetic and the householder, of the east and the west, of the ancient and the modern.

It is the harmony of the Veda and the Purana, of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

It is the harmony of yoga and bhakti.

It is the harmony of youth and age, of man and woman.

It is an explanation of the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation.

It is an explanation of the symbolic rites of Baptism and Sacrament, Hom and Jhanda.

It is an explanation of pantheism and polytheism.

It is an explanation of the philosophy of the Hindu pantheon with its millions of divinities.

It is the Church of the One Supreme, and tolerates not the least idolatry.

It is the Church of Universal Brotherhood, and tolerates not the least sectarianism.

It is the religion of an ever-working and ever-watchful Providence.

It is the religion of universal inspiration.

It is the religion of God-consciousness.

It is the religion of a Speaking and Teaching God.

It is the religion of pure science.

It is a protest against every form of deception, superstition, lying and imposture.

It is a protest against all manner of sin and iniquity.

It is Apostolic Faith.

It is the communion of Saints.

It is Christ's Kingdom of heaven.

It is the dawn of the Satya Yug or the Golden Age of universal

peace.

It is the return of the world to primitive infancy and innocence. It is the advance of the world into regenerated and second manhood. It is the union of all flesh with the Son of God.

It is the immediate intercommunion of divinity and humanity without mediators.

It is the mystic dance of all saints and prophets in the heart. It is the return of exiled Buddhism to India.

It is Hindustan's pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

It is the union of the Vedas and the Puranas.

It is a joint festival of Hindu and Mohamedan devotecs.

It is a meeting place for amirs and faquirs.

It is the old man's return to childhood.

It is the reconciliation of reason and faith after centuries of separation. It is an international exhibition of whatsoever is excellent in dif ferent countries and climes.

It is the Encyclopædia of universal religion.

It is all nations singing in unison under the Grand Bandmaster. It is heaven's return visit to the earth.

It is the resurrection of ancient prophets and apostles.

It is Christ's second advent.

It is Asia's protest against Europe's agnosticism.

It is Europe's protest against Asia's mysticism.

It is the worship of Harmony.

It is the equilibrium of forces in the spirit-world.

It is the balance of power among the reigning prophet chiefs of

the world.

It is the science of religion.

It is the reconciliation of apparent contradictions.

It is the invisible Westminster Abbey, where the enmities of fifty generations lie buried and forgotten.

It is the philosophy of the Trinity.

It is the Third Testament.

Is is the advent of the promised Comforter.

II.

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW?

Is NOT seeing' the Spirit-God new? Is not hearing' His Spiritwhispers new? Is not the worship of the Supreme spirit as Mother new? Are not interviews with Moses and Socrates new? Are not pilgrimages to Faraday and Carlyle new? Is not the vow of taking no thought for the morrow, amid nineteenth century civilization, new? Is not Yoga, which is always conscious of duality, new? Is not the doctrine 'I and my brother are one' new? Is not the golden rule 'Do unto others more than you would have them do to you' new? Is not the absorption of prophets and saints new? Is not the chain of logical sequence which binds all dispensations new? Is it not new to regard the Hindu devotees of the New Dispensation as apostles and spiritual descendants of Christ and Paul? Is not the eclecticism new, which blends together in perfect harmony the deepest communion, the most advanced philosophy, the most enthusiastic philanthropy, the sweetest love, the strictest asceticism? Is not the science of religion new, which connects the prayers and prophecies, the asceticism and inspiration of all religions by common laws and universal principles? Is it not new to combine Catholic, Protestant, Baptist and Methodist in Christ, and Christ, Moses, and Socrates in God? Is it not new to be an ascetic householder, a mystical scientist, a wise enthusiast, an inspired worker?

III.

AIMS OF THE NEW DISPENSATION.

Unless people know the sundry important purposes which the Church of the New Dispensation is designed and destined to subserve in the economy of Providence they can hardly form a correct idea of the nature of this great movement in India. Those who look upon it as a mere Hindu reformed Church or a Hindu edition of Western Deism must make endless blunders and hazard absurd opinions regarding its past, present and future. Nor can those critics form a correct estimate of it who regard it as a man-made system of faith, a product of human ingenuity. The New Dispensation is