It is the advocacy of this boundless charity which justifies us in comparing the doctrine of Lao-Tsze with primitive Christianity. Before, however, we give proofs of this affinity it will be interesting to note how the old philosopher proves his assertion, that all the material forms of nature are but emanations from the divine. [Sidenote: THE _TAO-TEH-KING_] In the twenty-fifth section of the _Tao-Teh-King_ we read: "Beings of corporeal form were made from matter which was at first in a chaotic condition. "Before the heaven and the earth came into being, there was nothing but a profound silence, a boundless void, without any perceptible form. "It[2] existed alone, infinite, immutable. "It moved about in the illimitable space without undergoing any change. "It may be looked upon as the mother of the Universe. "I am ignorant of its name, but I call it the Tao, by which I mean supreme and universal Reason. "Constrained to make a name for it, I designate it by its attributes, and call it grand, lofty. "Having recognized that it is grand and lofty, I add that it is all-embracing. "Having recognized that it is infinite, I designate it as unlike myself.... "The earth is ruled by Heaven. "Heaven is ruled by the Tao or universal Reason. "Universal Reason is a law unto itself" [2] Lao-Tsze speaks of the Supreme Being as "it," not "he," and implies that his Tao, whatever he signified by it, may have existed even before God.--Trans. These quotations cannot fail to give an exalted idea of the principles advocated by the Chinese sage. They even shadow forth, to some extent, the doctrine of the Gospel, which was not preached until 600 years after the death of the author of the _Tao-Teh-King_; but the extract I give now from the forty-ninth section of the book on Supreme Reason is yet more strikingly significant: "The heart of a holy man is not inexorable. "His heart is in sympathy with the hearts of all other men. "A virtuous man should be treated according to his virtue. "A vicious man should be treated as if he also were virtuous. Herein is wisdom and virtue." Again in the sixteenth section we read: "To be just, and equitable to all, is to have the attributes of God. "Having the attributes of God is to be of the divine nature. "To be of the divine nature is to succeed in becoming identified with the Tao or the supreme and universal Reason. "To be identified with the supreme Reason is to win eternal life. "Even when the body is put to death, there is no need to have any fear of annihilation." So much for Lao-Tsze's belief in the immortality of the soul; now note in what touching terms he expresses his compassion for the unhappy and unfortunate: "If the people suffer from hunger, it is because they are weighed down by taxes too heavy for them. "This is the cause of their misery. . . .