Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 3.djvu/85

be considered. What were the duties of man according to the religion of China? Mencius, writing in the third century before Christ and professing to echo the teachings of the sage Shun (B. C. 2207), denned those duties to be affection between father and son; righteousness between ruler and subject; attention to their separate functions between husband and wife; a proper distinction between old and young, and fidelity between friend and friend.” In short, man’s duty was to be discharged within the range of the five relationships of life: he had no duty to perform towards Heaven.

Existence, according to the ancient doctrine, did not end with death. The “Book of Records,” in one or two isolated passages, and the “Book of Odes” in several, show that sovereigns who had ruled well and ministers who had assisted them loyally were supposed to be in heaven, thence watching with interest, which might sometimes become active, the sequel of events in which they had taken part while living. The same belief is clearly indicated by the worship of the souls of the departed as tutelary spirits with whom communion could be held at the services in their honour.

But there was no theory of future punishment. It was not supposed that retribution awaited the wicked beyond the grave. Evidently such a conception would have been incompatible with the worship of ancestors as originally conducted.