77 To The Editor Of Lloyds Evening Post
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | letter |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-letter-1774-77-to-the-editor-of-lloyds-evening-post-001 |
| Words | 375 |
'When God began to create the world, He fought with two giants for five thousand years. Then He commanded His first-born creature, Birmah, to create the fifteen regions of punishment and purgation. And Birmah straightway formed a leaf of Betel, and thereon floated on the abyss. Then Bistnow, His second-made creature, transformed himself into a mighty boar, and, descending into the abyss, brought up the earth on his back. Then issued from him a mighty tortoise and a mighty snake, and he put the snake erect on the back of the tortoise, and put the earth on the snakes head.'
'The world is to continue six millions of years in all, of which 359,126 are to come.'
Such is the substance of the Shastah; far more wonderful than the Tales of the Fairies. This Mr. H--- gravely styles the Word of God, and seems to believe every word of it.
As to the origin of it, we are told, 'Four thousand eight hundred and seventy-four years ago an angel received the laws of God, written in the language of angels, came down to Indostan, and, assuming an human form, translated them into the language of the country, calling them Chartah Bhade Shastah of Bramah--that is, the four Scriptures of divine words of the Mighty Spirit, which he promulged as the only means of salvation.'
I am, secondly, to examine what is said on the antiquity of this and of the nations that hold it sacred. 'For a thousand years the Shastah remained pure; but then it was corrupted by a bad paraphrase; and still more about five hundred years after, which was 3,374 years ago.'
But what proof have we of this Why, 'This account we have had from some of the Bramins and from the most learned of the Laity. And in the earliest ages the Bramins were famed for their wisdom by the concurrent testimony of all antiquity.' Pray cite a few testimonies from authors that wrote four or five thousand years ago. We know of none such. If we except the Bible, we know of no book that is three thousand years old. And we see no reason to think that letters have been in use so much as four thousand years.