Drummond and Henry M. Stanley on the Slave Traffic and Mohammedan Civilization—­The Alleged Missionary Operations of Mohammedans in West Soudan—­The Account Given of Them by Bishop Crowther, Schweinfurth, and Others—­Canon Taylor and the Egyptian Pashas—­The Effects of European Education—­Palgrave on Mohammedan Intolerance of To-day—­Mohammedanism and Temperance; Exaggerated Accounts of it; Proofs to the Contrary—­R.  Bosworth Smith’s Protest against Canon Taylor’s Extravagant Glorification of Islam—­His Plea for Missions.

LECTURE VII.

THE TRACES OF A PRIMITIVE MONOTHEISM 222

Two Conflicting Theories on the History of Religion—­That of the Old and New Testaments—­That of Modern Evolution—­The Importance of this Question—­Professor Henry B. Smith’s Estimate of Ebrard’s Discussion of it—­Ebrard’s Summing-up of the Argument—­Professor Naville’s View of the Subject—­Conclusions of Rev. W.A.P.  Martin, D.D., and Max Mueller—­How far May we Attempt to Establish the Fact of an Early Monotheism from Heathen Traditions?—­Conceptions Differing in Different Nations—­Evidences of Monotheism in the Vedas—­Professor Banergea’s Testimony—­The Views Held by the Modern Somajes—­Monotheism in China—­Monotheistic Worship in the Days of Yao and Shun, 2300 B.C.—­The Prayer of an Emperor of the Ming Dynasty Quoted by Professor Legge—­Remarkable Monument of Monotheism in the Temple of Heaven—­A Taouist Prayer—­Zoroaster a Monotheistic Reformer—­The Inscription at Behistun—­Testimony of the Modern Parsee Catechism—­No Nation without some Notion of a God Supreme over All—­Buddhists in Thibet—­Egyptian Monotheism—­The Greek Poets—­Old Monotheism in Mexico and Peru—­Evidences of Ramification and Decline in Polytheism—­Egypt and India Give Abundant Proofs—­Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taouism all Show Degeneration—­Mohammedan Corruption since the Days of the Early Caliphs—­The Religions of Greece and Rome Became Effete—­Even Israel, in Spite of Instruction and Reproof, Lapsed into Idolatry again and again—­Even the Christian Church has Shown Similar Tendencies.

LECTURE VIII.

Indirect tributes of heathen systems to the doctrines
     of the Bible 266

The Universality and Similarity of Race Traditions—­Their General Support of the Old Testament History—­Traditions of the Creation Found in India, China, among the Northern Turanians and some African Tribes—­The Fall of Man as Traced in Assyria and among the Hindus—­The Buddhists of Ceylon, Mongolians, Africans and Tahitans had Similar Traditions—­The Flood—­Traditions of the Chinese, the Iranians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Peruvians—­The Prevalence of Piacular Sacrifice and Tokens of a Sense of Guilt—­Traditions or Traces of Substitution Found in the Vedas—­Faint