principle of thankful giving to the gods, and a tenth as the proportion to be so given. Herodotus mentions an instance of Samian traders, after a prosperous voyage, dedicating a tenth of their gains in the temple of Juno.2 Instances need not be multiplied. Greeks, Romans, Carthagenians, Arabs, Persians, recognised the giving of a tenth as a part of worship.3 The same devotion has received the inspired sanction of Holy Scripture. Abraham presented a tenth of the spoils of his victory to Melchizedeck, Priest of the Most High God. Jacob, after his vision at Luz, devoted a tenth of all his property to God, in case he should return home in safety. And, long afterwards, the Mosaic Law, in the appointment of the Levitical Tithes, recognised, consolidated, and enforced a devotion common to religious men in all nations.* 4-Formalism. In prayer, the spirit of the worshipper, according to its measure of light, approaches and speaks to God. This is a spiritual act. Hence, to worldly and unspiritual persons, prayer is irksome, and is liable to degenerate into formalism. The spirit of devotion is lost; but the form of words is retained, and the repetition of this form is supposed to be efficacious. But if one mechanical repetition of a sacred formula be efficacious, why should not two repetitions be doubly efficacious? and why should not three repetitions have thrice the effect? Once grant the fundamental principle of Formalism-that one mechanical recitation of a sacred formula is an effective prayer-and it follows, by an irresistible logic, that a hundred similar recitations will 2 Herod. iv. 152. 1 Herod. i. 89. 3 Smith, Dictionary of the Bible, III. p. 1516, Art. Tithe. produce a hundred separate and equal effects, that is, will be a hundred times more effective than one repetition. When Christ came to the Jewish Church, He found it ripe for final apostasy, but still praying. He also found the Heathen world praying, although fearfully corrupt. The instinct of devotion had survived the loss. of spiritual light and moral purity; and was everywhere exerting itself somehow, as it needs must do: but its prayers had become ostentatious, unreal, superstitious, formal. "When ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites for they love to pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men." "And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."1 Our Lord's allusion to the "vain repetitions" of the heathen shows what was the heathen custom in His time. This has been too often overlooked. The lamentable corruptions of heathen worship, especially in Eastern and Southern Asia, present such startling resemblances to familiar features of medieval Christianity, that, until recently, almost all travellers agreed in representing oriental Heathenism as having borrowed largely from Roman Catholic missionaries. Modern research, however, has fully demonstrated that the borrowing has been in quite the opposite direction. Oriental Heathenism did not borrow its tonsures, flagellations, relics, rosaries, and "vain repetitions" from the medieval Church: but the medieval Church borrowed these from Oriental heathenism, and had ample opportunities for so doing. The rosary, for instance, was not generally used in Christian devotion until about 1 Matt. 6. 5, 7. the eleventh century. Its introduction is ascribed to Peter the Hermit, A.D. 1090. But rosaries and "vain repetitions" were in common use amongst Hindus and Buddhists more than a thousand years before that date, and are in common use still. Every Tibetian Buddhist worshipper has a rosary of 108 beads, with which he counts his prayers or repetitions. He firmly believes in the efficacy of these "vain repetitions;" and this belief is confidently followed out to its most extreme logical results. Curious machines, called Praying Wheels, filled with prayers and passages from the sacred books, stand in every open space in the towns and villages of Tibet; and turn, like windmills, in every breeze, or revolve in every stream. Praying Flags are also employed. These Flags, upon which the six most sacred syllables are written, are raised aloft upon flag-staffs; and when the Flags are blown open by the wind, and the holy words are turned towards heaven, it is supposed that a prayer has been offered up, which will bring down blessings upon the surrounding country. In their public worship, the Tibetian priests and monks chant their hymns and anthems, sometimes in unison, and sometimes antiphonally, the verses being sung alternately by two choirs. Often, however, to save time, each monk simultaneously chants a different verse; by which device, where the monks are numerous, the whole body chant an entire chapter in the time required to chant a single verse. We need not be surprised to learn that in Tibet this blighting formalism has completely destroyed the world-wide and world-old system of congregational responding. All witnesses seem to agree that in that country "the people," or congregation, have become mere silent spectators of the worship. Although exhibited in less conspicuous forms, the belief in the efficacy of "vain repetitions" prevails far and wide in the East. The Japanese count their repetitions with rosaries. The Indian faqirs repeat the sacred words Yá Hú (O He, God) and Yá Hádí (O Guide) several thousand times in a night, and believe that there is great efficacy in so doing. The Mohammedans of Egypt use rosaries with ninety-nine beads.1 1 Max Müller, Introduction to the Science of Religion, p. 83. Rhys Davids, Buddhism, pp. 209-211, 250. Monier Williams, Hinduism, p. 6. Picart, Religious Ceremonies of all Nations, IV., pp. 317, 335. Smith, Dictionary of Christian Biography, I., p. 351, Art. Buddha: Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, II., p. 1819, Art. Rosary. Lane's Modern Egyptians I. p. 113. CHAPTER XIV. HOURS, PLACES, AND DIRECTION OF HEATHEN WORSHIP. 1. Hours of Heathen Worship.-2. Places of Heathen Worship.— 3. Westward direction of Heathen Worship. 1.-Hours of Heathen Worship. THE stated Hours of Public Worship among idolatrous nations are usually at Sunrise, Noon, and Sunset; of which that at Sunrise appears to be the most important. Often, however, at great festivals, the religious exercises are continued throughout the entire day, and sometimes for several days together.1 The Mohammedans have five hours of prayer each day. The Mohammedan day commencing at sunset, the first time of prayer is about four minutes after sunset: the second, when the evening has closed and it is quite dark the third, a few minutes after day-break: the fourth, a few minutes after noon: and the fifth, about mid-time between noon and nightfall. The Prophet would not have his followers pray exactly at sunrise, noon, and sunset, because, he said, infidels worshipped the sun at such times.2 1 Smith's Dictionary of Christian Biography, I. p. 351, Art. Buddha. Picart's Religious Ceremonies of All Nations, I. pp. 5, 6; II. pp. 77, 78. Lane's Modern Egyptians, I. pp. 103, 104. |