“Let those who plead the native innocence and purity of heathen nations visit Burmah! The system of religion here has no power over the heart or restraint on the passions. Though it forbids, on pain of many years’ suffering in hell, theft and falsehood, yet, I presume to say, there is not a single Burman in the country, who, if he had a good opportunity, without danger of detection, would hesitate to do either. Though the religion inculcates benevolence, tenderness, forgiveness of injuries, and love of enemies—though it forbids sensuality, love of pleasure, and attachment to worldly objects—yet it is destitute of power to produce the former, or to subdue the latter, in its votaries. In short, the Burman system of religion is like an alabaster image, perfect and beautiful in all its parts, but destitute of life. Besides being destitute of life, it provides no atonement for sin. Here also the Gospel triumphs over this and every other religion in the world.” ----- Footnote 8: See Map II. Footnote 9: See Forbes’s “British Burmah.” Footnote 10: See Mason’s “The Natural Productions of Burmah.” Footnote 11: Oscar Peschel. Footnote 12: Major Yule, in his “Embassy to Ava.” Footnote 13: See Crawfurd’s “Embassy.” Footnote 14: “The Light of Asia,” by Edwin Arnold. Footnote 15: Hardwick’s “Christ and other Masters.” Footnote 16: Tennyson’s “In Memoriam.” Footnote 17: “The Light of Asia.” Footnote 18: “I do not hesitate to add that, with the exception of the Christ alone, there is among the founders of religions no purer or more affecting figure than that of Buddha. His life has no stain. His constant heroism equals his conviction; and if the theory which he extols is false, the personal examples which he gives are irreproachable. He is the finished model of all the virtues which he preaches; his self-denial, his charity, his unalterable gentleness do not fail for a single instant; at twenty-nine years of age he leaves the court of the king, his father, in order to become a recluse and a mendicant; he silently prepares his doctrine during six years of seclusion and meditation; he propagates it for more than half a century by the power of persuasion alone; and when he dies in the arms of his disciples, it is with the serenity of a sage who has practiced the good all his life and who is assured of having found the true.” Footnote 19: The reader may be interested to see what weapons Mr. Judson used in assailing the hoary system of Buddhism, and is therefore referred to Appendix B. CHAPTER V. LIFE IN RANGOON. 1813-1819.