PAMPHLETS
I
3
i
ISSUED BY THE CHINESE INSURGENTS AT NAN- KING;
TO WHICH IS ADDED
A HISTOEY OE THE KWANG-SE REBELLION,
GATHERED FROM PUBLIC DOCUMENTS;
AND A SKETCH OF THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN FOREIGN MISSIONARIES
AND THE
CHINESE INSURRECTION;
CONCLUDING WITH
%
A CRITICAL REVIEW
OF SEVERAL OF THE ABOVE PAMPHLETS;
COMPILED BY
mt mtrjfiuv&t, Stnt.
SHANGHAE ;
PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE "N.-C. HERALD,”
1853 .
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2017 with funding from
Columbia University Libraries
https://archive.org/details/booksofthaepingdOOmedh
THE BOOK OF liKLlGlOUS BREC'KBTS
OF THE
T’lIAl'-riXG DYNASTY.
Who lias ever lived in the world willunit oUelid-
ing against the eomnuuuls of Heaven? hot until
this time no one has known how to obtain deliver-
ance from sin; now, liowever. the great God has
made a gracious communication to man, and
from henceforth whoever repents of his sins in tlie
presence of the great God, and avoids worshipping
depraved spirits (gods), practicing perverse things,
or transgressing the divine commands, may as-
cend to heaven and enjoy ha])piness, for thousands
and myriads of years, in pleasure and delight,
with dignity and honour, world without end. But
whoever does not repent of his sins, in the presence
of the great God, but continues to worship de-
praved spirits, practicing perverse things as before,
and going on to transgress the divine commands,
will most certainly be punished by being sent
down to hell, and suffering misery for thousands and
myriads of years, in sorrow and pain, with trouhle
and anguish, world without end. ^Vhich of these
is the best and wliich the worst, we leave it to you
to judge. Ought not all of you, our brethren and
sisters throughout the world, to awake from your
lethargy ? if, however, you continue unaw akened,
then you are truly hase-born and deluded by the
devil; you do not know how to enjoy the bliss
within your reach ; and all that great happiness,
pleasure and delight, dignity amt honour, which
is to be experienced in heaven for thousands and
myriads of years, you do not wish to enjoy; while
on the contrary you willingly fall into the crime
of sinning against Heaven, and thus bring down
upon yourselves the righteous indignation of the
great God, who will send you down to the eighteen
hells, and cause you to suffer eternal misery. How
lamentable !
Those whose minds have been deluded by the
devil object and say: that the great God is only to
be worshipped by sovereign princes. But we wish
you to know, that the great God is the universal
Father of all men throughout the world. Sove-
reigns are those of his children whom be clothes
with power, but the good are those of bis cbildren
who most resemble him: while the common mass
are still his children, though steeped in ignorance:
and the violent and oppressive are his disobedient
children. If you still think that sovereigns alone
are allowed to worship the great God, we beg to
ask you, whether the parents of one family regard
only their eldest son. and whether they require
filial respect and obedience from him alone?
Ho you not remember the period of the three
dynasties (from B.C. ■2’i04 to B.C. 220) how Ching-
t'hang. afterwards the head of the Shang dynasty.
was at first hut a prince of the empire, and yet he
reverenced the gre;il God: also how Wan-wang,
from whom spiamg the founder of the Chow
dynasty, was himself hut a western lord, and yet
he intelligently served tlie gre:it God ; neither of
these worthies filled the station of sovereign,
when they paid their adorations to the great God.
If it were true that the great God could only he
worshipped by the head of the state, Ching-t'hnng
and Wan-wang must have erred in adoring him:
and if they erred in adoring him, why did the
great God regard Ching-t’hang wiih favour, and
exalt him from the station of a jirince to be sole
ruler of the em|)ire, and give laws to the nine
)irovinces? And why did the great God legard
Wan-wang with favour, and cause him who was
only a western lord to obtain two thirds of the
empire, until his son Woo-wang ascended the
throne of China ?
Some also say erroneously that to worship the
great God is to imitate foreigners; not remember-
iiig that China has its histories, which are open
to investigation. From the time of Pwan-koo,*
down to the period of the three dynasties, both
princes and people honoured and worshijiped the
great God. I f now the people of the three dynas-
ties did not worship and honour the great God.
why does the Ta-heo classic quote an ode which
says, “Before the Yin (Shang) dynasty had lost
the sympathies of the people, their ancestors were
invited to do the honours at the sacrifices to the
great God.” Mang-tsze has also an expre.ssion
in his book to the following effect : “ When Heaven
(God) fortned the mass of mankind, he appointed
jirinces and teachers over them, that they might he
the vicegerents of God on earth, graciously con-
ferring tranquillity on the various regions;" he
also says “although a man he ever so vile, if he
goes through the proper fastings and ablutions, he
may sacrifice to the great God.” The Book of
Odes says, that “ Wan-wang was careful and res-
pectful, while he intelligently served the great God,
and enjoyed an unwonted degree of ha|)|>iness."
It also says, “ How great is God, when he ap-
proaches in glorious majesty !” In the same work
God is said to have addressed Wan-w;mg say-
ing, “ I regard you as possessed of intelligent vir-
tue:” ag:iin, “when you come into the presence of
the great God, beware of dividing your affections."
Further, “In due time Ching-t'hang appeared,
whose feeling of respect daily increased, until his
intelligence gradually advanced towards perfec-
* The first man of whom the Chinese speak.
tion. He lionoureil God, and God made liim a
jiattern to the nine provinces of tlie empire.”
The Historical Classic contains the following ex-
inessions : “ I (Ching-t'hang) fear the great God.
and do not dare to neglect correcting the diso-
hedient.” “ The great God disapproving (of the
tyrant Chow) has determined on sending down this
calamity.” “I (Woo-wang) presmne respect-
fully to receive the commission of the great God,
in order to sui)pre.ss disorderly counsels.” ‘‘The
great God is not invariahle in his dealings; on
those M’lio do good he confers a hundred blessings,
and on those who do evil he sends down a hun-
dred calamities.” The Book of Diagrams says,
“■ The ancient kings invented music, in order to
jiromote virtue, and they especially performed it
before the great God.” Now if you say that we
tire following foreigners, we beg to ask whether
Woo-wang of the Chow dynasty, when he “ pre-
.sumed respectfully to receive the commission of
the great God;” and Wan-wang. of the same
dynasty, when he ‘‘ intelligently served the great
God;” together with Ching-t’ liang of the Shang
dynasty, when he ‘‘ honoured the great God,” or
Chuen-heuh, when he ‘‘reverently served the
great God,” — we heg to ask, whether all the.se
worthies followed the foreigners? The fact is,
that according to the histories of both the Chinese
and foreign nations, the important duty of wor-
ship))ing the great God, in the early ages of the
world, several thousand years ago, was alike prac-
ticed both by Chine.se and foreigners: but the
various foreign ntitions in the west have practi-
ced this duty up to the present time, while the Chi-
nese ])racticed it only up to the Tsin and Han dy-
nasties ; f since which time they have erroneously
followed the devil's ways, and allowed themselves
to be deceived by the king of hades. Now, how-
ever, the great God, out of compassion to the
children of men, has displayed his great power,
and delivered men from the machinations of the
evil one ; causing them to retrace their steps, and
again to practice the great duty which was per-
formed of old. Thus while alive they are no lon-
ger subject to the devil’s influences, and after
death they are not taken away by him, but ascend-
ing to heaven they enjoy endless bliss. This is
all owing to the immeasurable grace and infinite
compassion of the great God. Those who are
still unawakened say, on the contrary, that we are
following foreigners, thus shewing to what an in-
tense degree they are deluded by their great ad-
versary. Mang-tsze says that “ Truth is one if
men did hut understand this, they ivould acknow-
ledge that both Chinese and foreigners ought to-
gether to practice the great duty of worshipping
God.
The form to he observed hi seelcing the forgive-
ness of sins ; —
Let the suppliant kneel down in the sight of
heaven, and pray to the great God to forgive his
.sins. He may either employ such words as occur,
or he may use a written form ; when the prayer
is over, let him take a basin of water and wash
liimself clean, or if he perform his ablutions in the
river, it will be still better. When he has obtain-
ed freedom from sin, let him morning and even-
+ About the period of the Christian era.
ing continue to worship the great God, praying
that God would regard him with favour, and grant
him his Holy Spirit to change his heart. At
every meal also he should give thanks to God, and
every seventh day worship and praise God for his
mercies. Let him also constantly obey the ten
commandments, and not on any account worship
the corrupt spirits (gods) that are in the world,
neither let him do any corrupt thing. In this way
people may become the sons and daughters of the
great God : in the present life they shall he the
objects of the divine favour, and after death their
souls will ascend to heaven, where they shall
enjoy endless bliss. All people throughout the
world, no matter whether male or female, Chinese
or foreigners, must jnirsue this method, or they
cannot go to heaven.
A prayer for a penitent sinner ; —
I, thine unworthy son or daughter, kneeling
down upon the ground, with a true heart repent of
my sins, and pray thee, the great God our heaven-
ly Father, of thine infinite goodness and mercy, to
forgive my fortner ignorance and frequent trans-
gressions of the divine commands; earnestly be-
seech thee, of thy great favour, to pardon all my
former sins, and enable me to repent, and lead a
new life, so that my soul may ascend to heaven ;
may I from henceforth sincerely repent and forsake
my evil ways, not worshii)])ing corrupt spirits
(gods), nor practicing perverse things, but obey
the divine commands. I also earnest!)' pray thee,
the great God our heavenly Father, constantly
to bestow on me thy Holy Spirit, and change my
wicked heart ; never more allow me to be deceiv-
ed l>y malignant demons, but ])erpetua]ly regarding
me with favour, for ever deliver me from the evil
one; and every day bestowing upon me food and
clothing, exempt me from calamity and woe, grant-
ing me traiHiuillity in the |)resent world, and the
enjoyment of endless hap|)iness in heaven : through
the merits of our Saviour and heavenly brother,
the Lord .Tesus, who redeemed us from sin. I also
pray the great God, our Father who is in heaven,
that his will may be done on earth as it is done iti
heaven. That thou wouldst look down and grant
this my request, is my heart’s sincere desire.
A prayer to God foi morning or evening ; —
I thine utiworthy son or daughter, kneeling
down on the ground, ))ray to thee, the great God
our heavenly Father, that thou wouldst grant me
thy mercifitl protection, and constantly bestow
upon me thy Holy Spirit, to change my wicked
heart, and never more allow me to be deceived by
demoniacal influences; but perpetually regarding
me with favour, that thou wouldst for ever deliver
me from the evil one, through the merits of our
Saviour and heavenly brother, the Lord Jesus,
who redeemed us from sin. I also pray thee the
great God, our Father in heaven, that thy will
may be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
That thou wouldst look down and grant this my
request, is my heart’s sincere desire.
Tlianhsgiving to be offered at meals : —
Viti thank thee, o God, our heavenly Father,
and pray that thou wouldst bless us with daily
food and raiment, cxemi)t us from calamity and
affliction, and grant that our souls may go up to
heaven.
A prayer in the time of sickness and affliction : —
I, thine unwoitliy son or daughter, kneeling
down upon the ground, lieseecli tiiee, tlie great
God, our heavenly Father, now tliat I tliine un-
worthy son or dnugltter am pressed by sickness or
affliction, that thou wonldst of thy mercy deliver
me, cause the affliction to be s|)eedily removed,
and iny body to be restored to health; should the evil
one attempt to injure me, I earnestly pray thee,
the great God, our heavenly Father, to display
thy divine majesty, and destroy all such demo-
niacal influences, through the merits of our Savi-
our and elder brother, the Lord Jesus, who re-
deemed us from sin. I also pray thee, the great
God, our Father in heaven, that thy will may be
done on earth as it is done in heaven. That thou
wonldst look down and grant this my request, is
my heart's sincere desire.
On occasions of birth-days, thanksgiving of
women after child-hirth, bringing home a wife,
or marrying out a daughter, with all such fortunate
occurrences, presentations of animals, wine, tea,
and rice, should be olFered up to the great God,
accompanied by the following prayer; —
1, thine unworthy son or daughter, kneeling
down upon the ground, present my supplications
to thee, the great God our heavenly Father. I,
thine unworthy son or daughter, celebrating this
birth-day, presenting this thanksgiving, or con-
tracting this marriage, reverently prepare animals,
wine, tea, and rice, ott'ering them up to thee, the
great God our heavenly Father, earnestly beseech-
ing thee to bless me tbine unworthy son or daugh-
ter, with prosperity in otir family, and every thing
according to our desire, through the merits of our
Saviour and elder brother, the Lord Jesus, who
redeemed us from sin. I also pray thee, the great
God, our Father in heaven, that thy will may be
done on earth as it is done in heaven. That thou
wouldst look down and grant this my request, is
my heart's sincere desire.
On occasion of constructing a hearth, building
a house, piling up stones, or opening up ground,
presentations of animals, wine, tea, and rice, should
he off'ered up to the great God, accompanied by
the following prayer : —
I, thine unworthy son or daughter, kneeling
down upon the ground, present my supplications
to thee, the great God our heavenly Father. I,
thine unworthy son or daughter, having construct-
ed this fire-place, built this house, piled up these
stones, or opened up this ground, reverently pre-
pare animals, wine, tea, and rice, offering them
up to thee, the great God our heavenly Father,
earnestly beseeching thee favourably to regard and
support me, thine unworthy son or daughter,
granting peace to every member of my household,
both great and small, warding off every kind of
fear or dread, causing all demoniacal influences
to retire, and everything to happen according to
our wish, accompanied by great prosperity and
bliss, through the merits of our Saviour and elder
brother, the Lord Jesus, who redeemed us from
sin. I also pray thee, the great God, our Father
in heaven, that thy will may be done on earth as
it is done in heaven. That thou wouldst look
down and grant this my request, is my heart’s
sincere desire.
Whenever any work is undertaken, people
should cry out with a loud voice, saying, Having
received the commands of the great God and su-
preme Lord, the commands of the Saviour of the
world the Lord Jesus, and the com])lete commands
of the celestial king, the sovereign director of the
great doctrine, (we undertake this work); and
may every kind of fear and dread be far away,
may demoniacal influences be compelled to retire,
may every thing happen according to our wish, and
we obtain great prosperity and bliss.
On funeral occasions no Huddhistic ceremonies
are to be employed; having placed the body in
a (;offln, put on mourning, and conducted the
funeral to the place of burial, presentations of
animals, wine, tea, and rice, should be offered up
to the great God, accompanied by the following
prayer: —
I, thine unworthy son or daughter, kneeling
down upon the ground, present my supplications
to thee, the great God our heavenly Father.
There is here present the soul of thine unworthy
servant, such a one, who on a certain day, month,
and hour, departed this life; having placed the
body in a coffin, put on mourning, and conducted
the funeral to the place of burial, T reverently pre-
pare animals, wine, tea, and rice, offering them
up to thee, the great God our heavenly Father,
earnestly beseeching thee, of thy favour to admit
the soul of thine unworthy servant, such a one,
up into heaven, to enjoy abundant happiness
with thee. I also pray thee, the great God our
heavenly Father, favourably to regard and sup-
])ort me, thine unworthy son or daughter, grant-
ing peace to every member of my household, both
great and small, warding off every kind of fear
and dread, causing all demoniacal influences to
retire, and every thing to happen according to
our wish, accompanied by great prosperity and
bliss, through the merits of our Saviour and elder
brother, the Lord Jesus, who redeemed us from
sin. I also pray thee, the great God, our Father
in heaven, that thy will may be done on earth as
it is done in heaven. That thou wouldst look
down and grant this my request, is my heart's
sincere desire.
When the coffin is closed down, the mourning
put on, the body carried out to the place of in-
terment, and lowered down into the sepulchre, all
should cry out with a loud voice, saying. In obe-
dience to the commands of the great God, our
supreme Lord, in obedience to the commands of
the Saviour of the world the Lord Jesus, and in
obedience to the complete commands of the celes-
tial king, the sovereign director of the great doc-
trine, we pray that every kind of fear and dread
may be far away, demoniacal influences be com-
pelled to retire, may every thing happen accord-
ing to our wish, and we obtain great prosperity
and bliss.
Every seventh-day is to be observed as a day
of worship, and for thanking the great God for
his goodness.
Every time that the four days of the 28 con-
stellations called Heu, Fang, Sing, and Maou,
occur,J is to be observed as a day of worship
f These correspond exactly with the Sundays through-
out the year.
The form to be used in praising God is as fol-
lows : —
We praise God, our holy and heavenly Father.
We praise Jesus, tlie holy Lord and Saviour of
the world.
We praise the lloiy Spirit, tlie Sacred Intel-
ligence.
We praise the three persons, wlio united con-
stitute one true Spirit (God).
Then follows a liymn : —
How different are the true doctrines from the doc-
trines of the world !
They save the souls of man, and lead to the enjoy-
ment of endless bliss :
The wise receive them with e.xultation, as the
source of their hapinness.
The foolish, when awakened, understand thereby
tlie way to heaven.
Our heavenly Father, of his great mere)' and un-
bounded goodness.
Spared not his first-born Son, hut sent him down
into the world.
To give his life for the redemption of all our trans-
gressions.
The knowledge of which, coupled with repentance,
saves the souls of men.
The ten celestial cummantls, which are to he con-
staiitlij observed ; —
The first command. Thou shall honour and
worship the great God.
The great God is the universal Father of all
men, in every nation under heaven. Kvery man
is produced and nourished by him : every man is
also protected by him : every man ought, there-
fore, morning and evening, to honour and wor-
ship him, ivith acknowledgments of his goodness.
It is a common saying, that Heaven produces,
nourishes and protects men. Also, that being pro-
vided with food we must not deceive Heaven.
Therefore whoever does not worship jhe great
God, breaks the commands of Heaven.
The hymn says —
Imperial Heaven, the Supreme God is the true
spirit (God) :
Worship him every morning and evening, and you
will be taken up ;
You ought deeply to consider the ten celestial
commands,
.\nd not by your foolishness obscure the right
princijiles of nature.
The second command. Thou shall not worship
corrupt spirits (gods).
The great God says, Thou shall have no other
spirits (gods) beside me. Therefore all besides
the great God are corrupt spirits (gods), deceiving
and destroying mankind , they must on no ac-
count be worshijiped : whoever worships the whole
class of corrupt spirits (gods), offends against the
commands of Heaven.
The hymn says —
Corrupt devils very easily delude the souls of men :
If vou perversely believe in them, you w'ill at last
go down to hell.
We e.xhort you all, brave people, to awake from
your lethargy,
.■\nd early make your peace with your exalted
heavenly Father.
The third coinmand. ThoU shall not take the
name of the great God in vain.
The name of the great God is Jehovah, which
n en must not take in vain. Whoever takes God’s
name in vain, and rails against Heaven, offerrds
against this command.
The hymn says —
Our e.xalted heavenlv Fath.r is infinitely honoitr-
ahle ;
Those who disobey and profane his name, seldom
come to a good end.
If unacquainted with the true doctrine, you should
be on your guard.
For those who wantonly biasjdieme involve them-
selves in endless crime.
The fourth command. On the seventh day,
the day of worship, you should jiraise the great
God for his goodness.
In the beginning, the great God made heaven
and eaith, land and sea, men and things, in six
days, and having finished his works on the seventh
day, he called it the day of rest, (or Sabbath);
therefore all the men of the world, who enjoy the
blessing of the great God, should on every seventh
day especially reverence and worship the great
God, and [iraise him for his goodness.
The hymn says — •
All the happiness enjoyed in the world comes from
Heaven,
It is therefore reasonable that men should give
thanks and sing ;
At the daily morning and evening meal there
should be tlianksgiving.
But on the seventh day, the worship should be
more intense.
The fifth command. Tliou shall honour thy
father and thy UiOther, that thy days may be pro-
longed. Whoever disobeys his parents breaks
this command.
The hymn says —
History records that Shun honoured his parents
to the end of his days,
Causing them to- experience the intensest pleasure
and delight:
August Heaven will abundantly reward all who
act thus.
And do not disappoint the expectation of the au-
thors of their being.
Tlie sixth command. Thou shall not kill or
injure men.
He who kills another kills himself, and he who
injures another injures himself. Whoever does
either of these breaks the above command.
'J’he hymn says —
The whole world is one family, and all men are
brethren.
How can they he jiermitted to kill and destroy one
another ?
Tlie outward form and tlie inward principle are
both conferred by Heaven,
Allow every one, then, to enjoy the ease and com-
fort which he desires.
The seventh command. Thou shall not com-
mit adultery or any thing unclean.
All tlie men in the world are brethren, and all
the women in the world are sisters. Among the
sons and daughters of the celestial hall, the males
are on one side and the females on the other, and are
not allowed to intermix. Should either men or
women practice lewdness, th 'y are considered out-
casts, as having offended against one of the chief
commands of Heaven. The easting of amorou
glances, the harbouring of lustful imaginations,
the of foreign tobacco (opium), or the
singing of libidinous songs, must all be considered
as breaches of this command.
The hymn says — ■
Lust and lewdness constitute the chief transgres-
sion,
Those who practice it heconie outcasts, and are
the objects of pity.
If you wish to enjoy the substantial happiness of
heaven,
It is necessary to deny yourself and earnestly cul-
tivate virtue.
The eighth command. Thou shalt not rob or
steal.
Riches and poverty are determined by the great
God, hut whosoever robs or plunders the property
of others, transgresses this command.
The hymn says —
Rest contented with your station, however poor,
and do not steal,
Robheiy and violence are low and abandoned
practices ;
Those who injure others really injure themselves.
Let the noble-minded among you immediately
reform.
The ninth command. Thou shalt not utter
falsehood.
All those who tell lies, and indulge in devilish
deceits, with every kind of coarse and abandoned
talk, offend against this command.
The hymn says —
Lying discourse and unfounded stories must all
be abandoned ;
Deceitful and wicked words are offences against
Heaven,
Much talk will in the end bring evil on the
speakers ;
It is then much better to be cautious, and regulate
one’s own mind.
The tenth command. Thou shalt not conceive
a covetous desire.
When a man looks upon the beauty of another’s
wife and daughters with covetous desires, or when
he regards the elegance of another man’s posses-
sions with covetous desires, or when he engages
in gambling, he offends against this command.
The hymn says —
In your daily conduct, do not harbour covetous
desires.
When involved in the sea of lust, the consequences
are very serious ;
The above injunctions were handed down on mount
Sinai,
And to this day the celestial commands retain all
their force.
A few verses ; — ■
Repent and believe in the great God our heaven-
ly Father, and you will in the end obtain
happiness
Rebel and resist the great God, our heavenly Fa-
ther, and you will surely weep for it.
Those who obey Heaven’s commands and worship
the true Spirit (God) when they part with
the |)resent world, will forthwith ascend to
heaven.
These who follow the world’s customs, and com-
ply with the devil’s wishes, when they
come to their end, will find it hard to
escape from hell.
Those who believe in depraved spirits, will at last
become the slaves of depraved spirits ;
Those who in life get involved in the devil’s
meshes, will when they die be taken in the
devil’s clutches.
Those who worship God, are his sons and daugh-
ters: Having derived their origin from
heaven, they will finally ascend to heaven.
Hymn —
God is the superintending Lord,
Do not be agitated by alarms :
Rely on him with a true heart,
And then you will go to heaven.
Worship God in sincerity.
Believe not in human fables s
Abandon all worldly views.
And then you will go to heaven.
Another hymn —
The true Spirit (God) of heaven is one God
(Shang-ti.)
But men in general are ignorant and walk in error :
When you bow down to images of clay, wood and
stone.
We beg to ask, how long have you parted with
your reason ?
Do not say that to comply with Heaven is to fol-
low foreigners.
For the generality of mankind are stupid and dis-
obedient.
Think of the reverence for the Deity displayed by
T’hang and Wan.
And courageously breakthrough the devil’s barrier.
Comply with Heaven and be happy, disobey and
perish.
What is the use of disputing about minor matters.
You are none of you the children of Buddhist idols.
Why do you not then repent and strive to get to
PAMPHLETS PUBLISHED BY THE INSURGENTS.
THE TRIMETRICAL CLASSIC.*
* Each line containinj; three words, and each verse four lines.
The great God
Made heaven and earth ;
Both land and sea,
And all tilings therein.
In six days,
He made the whole:
Man the lord of all,
Was endowed with glory and honour.
Every seventh day vvorsliip.
In acknow'lcdgcinent of Heaven’s favor;
Let all under heaven
Keep their hearts in reverence.
It is said that in former times,
A foreign nation was commanded
To honour God ;
The nation’s name was Israel.
Their twelve tribes
Removed into Egypt;
Where God favoured them.
And their posterity increased.
Then a king arose,
Into whose heart the devil entered ;
He envied their prosperity.
And inflicted pain and misery.
Ordering the daughters to be preserved.
But not allowing the sons to live ;
Their bondage was severe.
And very difficult to bear.
Tlie great God
Viewed them with pity.
And commanded Moses
To return to his family.
He commanded Aaron
To go and meet Moses :
When both addressed the king.
And wrought divers miracles.
The king hardened his heart.
And would not let them go :
Wlierefore God was angry
And sent lice and locusts.
He also sent flies.
Together with frogs.
Which entered their palaces.
And crept into their ovens.
When the king still refused,
The river was turned to blood ;
And the water became bitter
Throughout all Egypt.
God sent boils and blains.
With pestilence and murrain ;
He also sent hail.
Which was very grievous.
The king still refusing.
He slew their first-born;
When the king of Egypt
Had no resource ;
But let them go
Out of his land.
The great God
Upheld and sustained them.
By day in a cloud.
By night in a pillar of fire.
The great God
Himself saved them.
The king hardened bis heart.
And led his armies in pursuit:
But God was angry.
And displayed his majesty.
Arrived at the red sea.
The waters were spread abroad :
The ])eople of Israel
Were very miteh afraid.
Tlie pursuers overtook them.
But God stayed their course ;
He hiuiself fought for them,
And the people had no trouble.
He caused the red sea
With its waters to divide;
To stand up as a wall.
That they might jjass between.
The people of Israel
Marched with a steady step.
As though on dry ground.
And thus saved their lives.
The pursuers attempting to cross.
Their wheels were taken off;
When the waters closed upon them,
And they' were all drowned.
The great God
Displayed his power.
And the people of Israel
Were all preserved.
When they came to the desert.
They had nothing to eat;
But the great God
Bade them not be afraid.
He sent down manna.
For each man a pint;
It was as sweet as honey,
And satisfied their appetites.
The people lusted much.
And wished to eat flesh.
When quails were sent.
By the million of bushels.
At the mount Sinai,
Miracles were displayed ;
And Moses was commanded
To make tables of stone.
The great God
Gave his celestial commands.
Amounting to ten precepts.
The breach of which would not be forgiven.
He himself wrote them.
And gave them to Moses :
The celestial law
Cannot be altered.
In after ages.
It was sometimes disobeyed.
Through the devil’s temptations.
When men fell into misery.
But tlie great God,
Out of pity to mankind,
Sent his first-born Son
To come down into the world.
His name is Jesus,
Tire Lord and Saviour of men,
Who redeems them from sin.
By the endurance of extreme misery.
Upon the cross,
They nailed his body ;
Where he shed his precious blood.
To save all mankind.
Three days after his death.
He rose from the dead:
And during forty days.
He discoursed on heavenly things.
AVhen he was about to ascend.
He commanded his disciples
To communicate his Gospel,
And proclaim his revealed will.
Those who believe will be saved.
And ascend up to heaven ;
But those who do not believe.
Will be the first to be condemned.
Throughout the whole world.
There is only one God (Shang-te) ;
The great Lord and Ruler,
Without a second.
The Chinese in early ages.
Were regarded by God;
Together with foreign states
They walked in one way.
From the time of Pwan-koo,*
Down to the three dynasties,-!-
They honoured God,
As history records.
T’hang of the Shang dynasty,!;
And Wan of the Chow,§
Honoured God
With the intensest feeling.
The inscription on T’hang’s bathing-tub
Inculcated daily renovation of mind;
And God commanded him.
To assume the government of the empire.
Wan was very respectful.
And intelligently served God ;
So that the people who submitted to him.
Were two out of every three.
When Tsin obtained the empiTe,||
He was infatuated with the genii
And the nation has been deluded by the devil,
For the last two thousand years.
Seuen** and Woo,f -f- of the Han dynasty.
Both followed this bad example;
So that the mad rebellion increased.
In imitation of Tsin’s mis- rule.
* The first man spoken of by the Clrinese.
t Tliis period closed B. C. 220.
t B. C. 1765. § B. C. 1121. || B. C. 220.
If History says, that in the time of Tsin-che-hwang,
(the emperor who burnt tlie books,) one Tseu -she requested
that he might be allowed, with a number of virgins and
youths, to go down into the sea, to the hill of the three
spirits, in order to obtain the elixir of immortality from
the genii- when the emperor sent Tseu-she, with se-
veral thousand virgins and youths, to go in search of the
place in question. They returned saying, that though
they saw it at a distanee, they could not get there.
*» B. C. 72. tt A. D. 25.
When Woo arrived at old age.
He repented of his folly,
And lamented that from his youth up.
He had always followed the wrong road.!!;
Ming,§§ of tlie Han dynasty.
Welcomed the institutions of Buddha,
And set up temples and monasteries.
To the great injury of the country'.
But Hwuy, of the Sung dynasty.
Was still more mad and infatuated.
For he changed the name of Shang-te (God)
Into that of Yuh-hwang (the pearly emperor)|||]
But the great God
Is the supreme Lord
Over ail the world.
The great Father in heaven.
His name is most honourable.
To be handed down through distant ages;
W'ho was this Hwuy,
That he dared to alter it?
It was meet that this same Hwuy
•Should be taken by the Tartars;
And together with his son
Perish in the northern desert.
From Hwuy, of the Sung dynasty,
Up to the present day'.
For these seven hundred years.
Men have sunk deeper and deeper in error.
With the doctrine of God
They have not been acquainted ;
While the king of Hades
Has deluded them to the utmost.
The great God displays^^
Liberality deep as the sea;
But the devil has injured man.
In a most outrageous manner.
God is therefore displeased,
And lias sent liis Son,***
With orders to come down into the world,
Having first studied the classics.
In the Ting-yew year (1837)
He was received up into heaven,
Jt History records, that when Woo had been 31 years
on the throne, two years before his death, he said, My
conduct, since I ascended the throne, has been perverse
and wicked, causing much misery to the empire, to
regret which is now unavailing. From henceforth, how-
ever, whatever distresses the people or wastes property
throughout the empire must be set aside. One of his mi-
nisters said, according to the conjurers, the genii are
very numerous, but they have never done us any good, let
them be abolished. The emperor approved of the sug-
gestion, and discarded all conjurers, with those that had
familiar spirits.
§§ A. D. 58.
nil The Chinese history of the period in question says,
that the Emperor Hwuy (A. D. 1107) having obtained
a pearly book, and a precious gem, w'ent to the palace
of perfect pureness and harmony, where he saluted the
pearly emperor with an honourable title, as follows :
“The great Supreme, the origin of heaven, the holder
of charms, the controller of the seasons, the possessor of
all that is divine, and the embodiment of all that is true,
the pearly emperor Shang-te (God) of the august heavens."
He also commanded that in every favourable spot, that
penetrated the sky, they should erect temples and mo-
nasteries, and form holy images.
IF IT From this part of the book the reference appears
to be to the leader of the insurrection.
*** By God’s Son is here meant Hung-sew-tseuji, the
leader of the insurrection.
Where the affairs of heaven
Were clearly pointed out to him.
The great God
Personally instructed him,
Gave him odes and documents,
And communicated to him the true doctrine.
God also gave him a seal.
And conferred upon him a sword.
Connected with authority.
And majesty irresistible.
He bade him, together with the elder brother,
Namely Jesus,
To drive away impi.sh fiends.
With the co-operation of angels.
There was one who looked on with envy.
Namely the king of Hades;
Who displayed much malignity.
And acted like a devilish serpent.
But tlie great God,
With a higli hand,
Instructed his Sonf ff
To subdue this fiend:
And having conquered him.
To show him no favour.
And in spite of his envious eye,
He damped all his courage.
Having overcome the fiend.
He returned to heaven.
Where the great God
Gave him great authority.
The celestial mother was kind,Jj:J
And exceedingly gracious.
Beautiful and noble in the extreme.
Far beyond all compare.
The celestial elder brother’s wife,§§§
Was virtuous, and very considerate.
Constantly exhorting the elder brother.
To do things deliberately.
The great God,
Out of love to mankind.
Again commissioned his Son,ff f
To come down into the world ;
And when he sent him down.
He charged him not to be afraid.
I am with you, said he.
To superintend every thing.
In the Mow’-shin year (1848)
The Soiiftt was troubled and distressed.
When the great God
Appeared on his behalf.
Bringing Jesus with him.
They both came down into the world;
Where he instructed his Sonf ft
How to sustain the weight of government.
God has set up his Son
To endure for ever.
To defeat corrupt machinations.
And to display majesty and authority.
Also to judge the world.
To divide the righteous from the wicked;
And consign them to the misery of hell.
Or bestow on them the joys of heaven.
Heaven manages every thing
Heaven sustains the whole;
++t By the Son is meant the leader of the insurrection,
tft By the celestial mother seems intended the mother
of Jesus.
§§§ By the elder brother’s wife, judging from the con-
text, is meant the wife of Jesus.
Let all beneath the sky
Come and acknowledge the new monarch.
Little children.
Worship God,
Keep his commandments.
And do not disobey.
Let your minds be refined.
And be not depraved ;
The great God
Constantly surveys you.
You must refine yourselves well.
And not be depraved.
Vice willingly practiced
Is the first step to misery.
To ensure a good end.
You must make a good beginning ;
An error of a hair s breadth.
May lead to a discrepancy of 1,000 le.
Be careful about little things,
And watch the minute springs of action ;
The great God
Is not to be deceived.
Little children
Arouse your energies.
The laws of high Heaven
Admit not of infraction.
Upon the good blessings descend,
.\nd miseries on tlie wicked ;
Those wlio obey Heaven are ))reserved.
And those who disobey perish.
Tlie great God
Is a spiritual Father ;
All things whatever
Depend on him.
The great God
Is the Father of our spirits';
Those who devoutly serve him
Will obtain blessings.
'Those who obey the fathers of their flesh
AVill enjoy longevitj' ;
'Those who requite their parents
Will certainly obtain happiness.
Do not practice lewdness.
Nor any uncleanness ;
Do not tell lies ;
Do not kill and slay;
Do not steal ;
Do not covet ;
'The great God
Will strictly carry out his laws.
'Those who obey Heaven’s commands
Will enjoy celestial happiness ;
'Those who are grateful for divine favours.
Will receive divine support.
Heaven blesses the good.
And curses the bad ;
Little children
Maintain correct conduct.
'The correct are men
The corrupt are imps.
Little children,
Seek to avoid disgrace.
God loves the upright.
And he hates the vicious :
Little children
Be careful to avoid error.
The great God
Secs every thing.
If you wish to enjoy happiness,
Refine and correct yourselves. [W.H.M.
ODK FOK YOUTH.*
* Each line coiitainin;' five woiils.. and each verse four lines.
On the worshij) of Got!.
Let the true -Spirit, the ^reat God,
Be lionoui'cd and adored by all nations;
Let all the inhabitants of the world
Unite in his worship, niornino and evening.
Above and below, look where you may.
All things are imbued with the Divine favour.
At the beginning, in si-K days,
All things were created, perfect and complete.
^Vhether circumcised or uncircumcised.
Who is not produced by God ?
Reverently praise the divine favour.
.■\nd yon will obtain eternal glory.
On reverence for Jesus.
.lesus, his first-born Son,
Was in foimer times sent by God ;
He willingly gave his life to redeem us from sin,
Of a truth his merits are preeminent.
His cross was hard to bear.
The sorrowing clouds obscured the sun ;
The adorable Son, the honoured of heaven.
Died for you the children of men.
.\fter his resurrection he ascended to heaven.
Resplendent in glory, he wields authority supreme.
In him we know that we may trust.
To secure salvation and ascend to heaven.
On the honour due to ptirents.
As grain is stored against a day of need.
So men bring up children to tend their old age.
A filial son begets filial children.
The recompence here is truly wonderful.
Do you ask how this our body
Is to attain to length of years ?
Keep the fifth command, we say.
And honour and emolument will descend upon you.
On the conit.
The imperial court is an awe-inspiring spot,
Let those about it dread celestial majesty ;
Life and death emanate from Heaven’s son.
Let every officer avoid disobedience.
On the duties of the sovereign.
When one man presides over the government.
All nations become settled and tranquillized;
When the sovereign grasps the seei)tre of power.
Calumny and corruption sink and disappear.
On the duties of ministers.
When the prince is upright ministers are true.
When the sovereign is intelligent, ministers will be
honest ;
E and Chow are models worthy of imitation.
They acted uprightly and aided the government.
On the duties of families.
The members of one family being intimately relat-
They should live in joy and hannonj'. [ed.
When the feeling of concord unites the whole.
Blessings will descend upon them from above.
On the duties of a father.
When the main beam is straight, the joists will be
regular.
When a father is strict, his duty will be fulfilled ;
Let him not jirovoke his children to wrath, [ing.
.And a delightful harmony will pervade the dwell-
On the duties of a mother.
Ye mothers beware of partiality.
But tenderly instruct your children in virtue ;
When you are a fit example to your daughters,
The haiqry feeling will reach to the clouds.
On the duties of sons.
Sons be patterns to your wives.
Consider obedience to parents the chief duty ;
Do not listen to the tattle of women.
And you will not be estranged from your own flesh.
On the duties of daughters-in-la:v.
Ye that are espoused into other families.
Be gentle and yielding, and your duty is fulfilled,
Do not quarrel with your sisters-in-law.
And thereby vex the old father and mother.
On the duties of elder brothers.
Elder brothers! instruct your juniors.
Remember well your common parentage.
Should they commit a trifling fault.
Bear with it and treat them indulgently.
On the. duties of younger brothers.
Disparity in years is ordered by Heaven,
Duty to seniors consists in respect ;
When younger brothers obey Heaven’s dictates.
Happiness and honour will be their portion.
On the duties of elder sisters.
Elder sisters instruct your younger sisters.
Study improvement and fit yourselves for heaven :
Should you occasionally visit your former homes,
Get the little ones around you and tell them what
is right.
On the duties of younger sisters.
Girls obey your elder brothers and sisters.
Be obliging and avoid arrogance,
Carefully give yourselves to self-improvement.
And mind and keep the ten commandments.
On the duties of Inisbands.
Unbending firmness is natural to the man.
Love for a wife should be qualified by prudence.
And should the lioness roar
Let not terror fill the mind.
On the duties of ivives.
Women be obedient to yonr three male relatives.
And do not disobey your lords ;
When hens crow in the morning.
Sorrow may be expected in the family.
On the duties of elder brothers' whes.
Wliat is the dut}' of an elder brotlier’s wife ?
And wliat her most appropriate dejioi tment ?
Let her cheerfully harmonize with younger bro-
And she will never do amiss. [tilers’ wives,
On the duties of younger brothers’ wives.
Younger brothers’ wives should respect their elder
brothers’ wives,
In humilit}' honouring their elder brothers ;
In all things yielding to their senior sisters-in-law,
Whieh will result in harmony superior to music.
On the duties of the male sex.
Let every man have his own partner.
And maintain the duties of the human relations.
Firm and unbending his duties lie from home.
But he should avoid such things as cause suspicion.
On the duties of the female sex.
'File duty of woman is to maintain chastity.
She should shun proximity to the other sex.
Sober and decorous she should keep at home.
Thus she can secure happiness and felicity.
On contracting marriages.
Marriages are the result of some relation in a for-
mer state.
The disposal of which rests with Heaven ;
When contracted, affection should flow in a con-
tinued stream,
And the association should be uninterrupted.
On managing the heart.
For the purpose of controlling the whole body,
God has given to man an intelligent mind, [gulator.
When the heart is correct it becomes the true re-
To which the senses and members are all obedient.
On managing the eyes.
The various corruptions first delude the eye,
But if the eye be correct all evil will be avoided ;
Let the pupil of the eye be sternly fixed.
And the light of the body will shine up to heaven.
On managing the ear.
Whatever sounds assail my ear.
Let me listen to all in silence.
Deaf to the entrance of evil.
Pervious to good, in order to be
[ligent.
eminently intel-
On managing the mouth.
The tongue is a prolific source of strife.
And a multitude of words, leads to mischief,
Let me not be defiled by lying and corrupt dis-
course.
Careful and cautious, let reason be my guide.
On managing the hand.
To cut oft' the hand whereby we are dragged to evil.
Appears a determination worthy of high praise.
The duty of the hand is to manifest respect.
But for improper objects move not a finger.
On managing the feet.
Let the feet walk in the path of rectitude,
And ever follow it, without treading awry ;
For the countless bye-paths of life
Lead only to mischief in the end.
The way to get to heaven.
Honour and disgrace come from a man’s self.
But men should exert themselves
To keep the ten commandments.
And they will enjoy bliss in heaven.
W. H. -M.
THE BOOK OF CELESTIAL DECREES AND DECLARATIONS
OF THE IMPERIAL WILL.
PUr-LISHED IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE T'HAE-PING DYNASTY,
DENOMINATED JIN-TSZE, OR 1852.
Tile proclamation of the celestial king is to the
Ibllowiiig effect: —
In the 3rd month (April) of the Mow-shin 3 'ear,
(ISIS) our heavenly Father, the great God and
supreme Lord, came down into the world, and
displayed innumerable miracles and powers, ac-
companied by evident jiroofs, which are contained
in the Book of Proclamations. In the 9th month
(October) of the same year, our celestial elder
Brother, the Saviour Jesus, came down into the
I world, and also displayed innumerable miracles
and powers, accompanied by evident proofs, which
are contained in the Book of Proclamations. Now
lest any individual of our whole host, whether
great or small, male or female, soldier or officer,
should not have a ] erfect knowledge of the holj'
will and commands id' our heavenly Father, and
a perfect knowledge of the holy will and commands
of our celestial elder Brother, and thus unwitting-
ly otfend against the celestial commands and
decrees, therefore ve have especitilly examined
the various proclamations containing the most im-
portant of the sacred decrees and commands of our
heavenly Father, and celestial elder Brother, and
having classified them, we have published them
in the form of a book, in order that our whole host
may diligently read and remember them, and
thus avoid offending against the celestial decrees,
and do that which is pleasing to our heavenly
Father and celestial elder Brother. There are
annexed to the same some of our royal proclama-
tions, with the view of making you acquainted
with the laws, and causing you to live in dread
of them. Respect this.
On the 16th day of the .3d moon (2 1st of April),
of the Ke-yew year (IS l!)), in the district citj' of
Kwei (in Kwang-se), our heavenly Father, the
great God and supreme Lord, said, “on the sum-
mit of Kaou-laou hill, exactly in the form of a
cross, there is a pencil ; pray, (tuid you will get a
response.* )”
On the Ifth day of the .3d moon (I9th April),
of the Sin-k’hae year 11851) in the village of
Tung-heang, (in the district of Woo-seuen), the
heavenly Father addressed the multitude stiying.
Oh my children! do you know your heavenly
Father and your celestial elder Brother? To
which they all replied. We know our heavenly
* This passage is very diflicult of comprehension ; it
prohahly refers to a suspended pencil, balance by a
cross-bar, wliich, agitated by the wind, described certain
characters, by means of wliich the insurrectionists were
accustomed to divine. See iilortison's Dictionarv, Part
I. Vol. I. p. dO.
Father and celestial elder Brother. The heaven-
ly Father then said. Do you know your lord, and
truly lb To which they all replied, We know our
lord right well. The heavenly Father said, 1 have
sent your lord down into the world, to become
the celestial king : every word be utters is a celes-
tial command ; you must be obedient; you must
truly assist your lord, and regard your king ; j'ou
must not dare to act disorderly, nor to be dis-
respectful. If you do not regard your lord and
king, every one of you will be involved in dif-
ficulty.
On the ISth day of the 3rd moon (April 23d),
of the Siit-k’hae year (1851), in the village of
Tung-heang, (in the district of Woo-seuen). the
celestial elder Brother, the Saviour Jesus, address-
ed the multitude, saying. Oh my younger bre-
thren ! you must keep the celestial commands, and
obey the orders that are given you, and be at
peace among yourselves : if a superior is in the
wrotig, and an inferior somewhat in the right ; or
if an inferior is in the wrong, and a superior some-
what in the right, do not, on account of a single
exitression, record the matter in a book, and con-
tract feuds and enmities. You ought to cultivate
what is good, and purify your conduct ; you should
not go into the villages, to seize people’s goods.
When you go into the ranks to fight, you must
not retreat. When you have money, you must
make it public, and not consider it as belonging
to one or another. You must, with united heart
and strength, together conquer the hills and rivers.
You should find out the way to heaven, and walk
in it ; although at present the work be toilsome
and distressing, yet by and bye you will be pro-
moted to high offices. If, after having been in-
structed, any of you should still break Heaven's
commands, and slight the orders given you, or
disobey your officers, or retreat when you are led
into battle, do not be surprised if I, your exalted
elder Brother, issue orders to have you put to death.
Gn the 13th day of the seventh month (August
18th), of the Sin-k’hae year (1851), at the village
of Muh, Jesus, the celestial elder Brother, scolded
the i>eople very much for having secreted things
to themselves, and for not having devoted them
to the public good, in order to shew fidelity to the
cause.
The same eveniirg, about ten o’clock, at the red
thorn hill, in the tea district, ourheavenly Father,
the great God and supreme Lord, said, —
1 Tlie “lord” here refers to the chief of the insurrec-
tion.
I, your heavenly Father', for several years past,
have come down among you.
Your celestial elder Brother has come down to
jirotect you, and zealously gone out before you.
Jesus, your Saviour,
Continues to exert himself in leading you on, just
as before.
1, your heavenly Father, will be your Lord all
your lives long.
Why do you not then be faithful, and why neglect
to improve yourselves ?
Many of you have grievously disobeyed orders,
And because I have not pointed you out, your
boldness bas risen up to heaven.
The great God also said.
When you try to deceive Heaven, do not think
that Heaven does not know it;
The indulgence of Heaven is vast as the sea, and
_\ et not slow (to punish).
I perceive that there is among you a slight want
of coinage ;
How long will you refuse to act as faithful servants ?
Von intended in the dead of the night to follow
the dark road,
.\iid ere morning dawned you had to complain of
being caught by the devils’ delusions ;
Mow then all of you follow the right way in de-
fence of your king.
.\nd truly believe your heavenly Father, without
harbouring suspicions.
The great God also said, —
Mow I, your heavenly Father, have personally
come down into the world, to lead on you my lit-
tle ones; but I see that some of you are disobedi-
ent to the heavenly commands, and every time
you engage in any affair you do not act in unison.
Think now whose rice you are eating, and in what
work you are engaged. When you are sent to
kill the imps (your enemies), why are you not more
united, why do you not exert your strength, and
press forward together in battle. I, your heavenly
Father, tell you plainly, from this time forth, that
in killing the imps (your enemies), if any one of
you in the least degree refuse to go fortli, or in
the least degree venture into battle, 3 'ou may be
sure that Heaven knows it, for you yourselves
know all about it. Consider well, that I, your
heavenly Father, am mighty, and require all you
little ones to obey orders; if you again disobey,
do not be surprised (if I punish you). Every one
of you must be true-hearted and courageous, in
lioing the work of Heaven.
The next day (August 19th) early in the morn-
ing, the great God said, —
On w hose account has your heavenly Father come
dow'n into the w'orld ?
<)n whose account has .Tesus laid down his life?
Heaven has sent down your king, to be a true
sovereign,
Why are you troubled, and why is \-our courage
fled ?
Tiie great God also said, —
O mv little one;;, you know now that your elder
Brother has suflered misery,
Whv then do yon not boldly venture into battle
and return victorious !
'I'he determined man regards Heaven, and faith-
fully serves his country ;
How is it that in going out to fight you are thus
disturbed !
The great God further said, —
From of old life and death have been decreed by
Heaven ;
How can one ,succeed in any thing by depending
on himself?
The soul is originally bestowed on you by your
heavenly Father;
Now if you do not arouse, what sort of people can
you account yourselves ?
On the 26tb day of the 7th moon (Aug. 31st),
of the Sin-k’hae year (1851), at night, in the vil-
lage of Mull, the heavenly Father, the great God
and supreme Lord, put to death Hwang-e-chin,
and said, — •
Hwang-e-chin has twice disobeyed commands,
From the cloudy heavens to the snowy earth bis
fault cannot be excused :
He boldly attempted to deceive Heaven, and had
no faith ?
In the time of battle he twice caused our heroes
to retire.
The true Spirit (God) created the land and sea ;
If you do not believe in your ghostly Father what
merit have you ?
O all ye little ones, obey Heaven’s commands;
If you disobey, like E-cbin, your crimes will
never be forgiven.
On the 20th day of the 10th month (Decem-
ber 2(itb), of the Sin-k’hae year (1851 ), at the city
of Yung-gnan, Jesus, the celestial elder Brother,
said : If a man wishes to become a hero, he must
not be at his ease, he that is at his ease cannot be a
hero : the more you endure sufferings, the greater
will be your dignity; but you need not be alarm-
ed, for if those impish fiends (the enemy) were
able of a sudden to fly, or to change their form,
they never could escape the hand of my heavenly
Father, or the hand of me your celestial elder
Brother.
On the 3d day of the 12th month, of the Sin-
k’hae year, (January 8 th, 1852), at the city of
Yung-gnan, the heavenly Father, the great God
and supreme Lord said. —
O all ye little ones from every region, who have
left your houses.
And your native villages, with a determination to
become faithful followers;
Formerly you did not diligently serve your king
with tiger-like valour.
But now you know that you have a lord, and you
may become heroes.
If you do not believe th.at in tbe hills the pure
and noble dwells.
Just think that your ghostly Father has set up
your true lord ; +
Heaven has interfered by well-established proofs
of |)Ower,
So that before the imps were assembled, they were
beaten small as tbe dust.
The great God also said —
By a thousand considerations, I have a thousand
times urged you, and yet you have a thou-
sand times deceived me.
I The “lord" here also refers to the leader of tlie
insurrection.
On a thousand occasions, I have a thousand times
exliorted you, and yet you have a thousand
times trifled with me.
In a thousand ways, I have a thousand times in-
treated you to reform your thousand errors.
And a thousand times begged you, in a thousand
ways, to purify yourselves, and after a thou-
sand efforts I have barely succeeded.
The great God further said, —
From a myriad regions a myriad states have a
myriad times come to pay court to me.
From a myriad hills and a myriad rivers, they
liave in a myriad ways come floating along;
For a myriad furlongs a myriad eyes have a my-
riad times cast a penetrating glance.
And in a myriad ways e.xperienced a myriad bles-
sitigs, through a myriad meritorious actions.
ADDF.NDA.
The ])roclamations of the celestial king are here
appended —
! In the early part of tlie twelfth month, in the
Kang-suh year (Jan. 1851) at a place called Kin-
t'heeu, the celestial king commanded sajdng, —
The first requisite is to obey the commandments.
The second, to divide the ranks of the males from
the females. The third, to avoid encroachment in
the slightest degree. The fourth, to manifest a
public spirit, and a harmonious feeling, each one
following the orders of his superiors. The fifth, to
combine every effort and every energy, and when
engaging in battle never to retreat.
On thj 19th day, of the 7th month, of the Sin-
k’hae year (24th Augt., 1851 ), at the tea-district,
the celestial king issued a proclamation, command-
ing every officer and soldier throughout all the re-
giments and battalions, with courage and joy, e.x-
ultingly to obey the requisitions of our heavenly
Father, and celestial elder Brother, without being
agitated by fear; for all things are determined by
our heavenly Father, and celestial elder Brother;
every trouble is intended by our heavenly Father,
and celestial elder Brother, as the trial of our
minds; therefore let every one be true, and firm,
and patient, so that he may answer it to our
heavenly Father and our celestial elder Brother.
The heavenly Father formerly issued his com-
mands, saying, “ Let every one be firm and patient,
and he will not know any difference (between cold
and heat) ; so that the colder it is, the more he
may throw off his clothes.” Remembering this,
let all the officers and soldiers awake from their
lethargy. According to the statement now lianded
in, there seems to be no salt, let the camp therefore
be removed. According to the same statement it
also appears, that there are many sick and wound-
ed, let the greater care therefore be taken to pre-
serve the feeble. Should you fail to preserve one
among our brethren and sisters, you will disgrace
our heavenly Father and celestial elder Brother.
Now when the camp sets forward, let all the
legions and cohorts be strict and e.xact in keeping
tlie ranks, and in combining every effort and
every energy. Let me earnestly entreat you re-
verently to obey the celestial commands, and do
not any more offend. 'I'he general in command
of the advanced guard, our sister’s husband Seaou-
chaou-kwei, and the general in command of the
left wing, our brother Sliih-tali-k’hae, should to-
gether take the superintendauce of the chief inspec-
tor’s department. The first and second brigadiers
of the artvanced guard, with the first and second
brigadiers of the left wing, must lead the van.
Let the general in command of the centre of tlie
army, our brother Yang-sew-tsing. take the su-
perintendance of the chief director’s department ;
the first and second brigadiers of the central di-
vision together with 20 of the select body-guard
are to guard the centre. The general in command
of the right wing, our brother Wci-ching, and the
general in command of the rear guard, our brother
Fung-yun-san, should together lead on the first
and second brigadiers of the right wing, and the
first and second brigadiers of the army of reserve
to guard the rear. Whenever the camps advance,
or pitch their tents, let every legion and cohort be
regularly joined, so as to be able to come to each
other's assistance. You must every one of you exert
your energies in sustaining and protecting the old
and young, both male and female, together with
the sick and wounded, so as to preserve them from
every harm ; at the same time let every one look
to the orders that issue from our little heaven :
and all, both officers and soldiers, be obedient.
Respect this.
According to the above arrangement, the camp
used formerly to set forward and to halt; from
henceforth, however, they must in this respect
obe)' the orders of the eastern king.
On the ;?d day of the 8th month, of tlieSin-hae
year (8th Sept. 1851), at the village of Muh, the
celestial king commanded all the officers and
soldiers, throughout the various camps and legions,
to rouse their courage and exultingly rejoice, also
with united efforts and energies to march forward,
because in every thing our heavenly Father takes
the superintendance, and our celestial elder Brother
sustains us, therefore let me earnestly intreat you
not to be agitated by fear.
The true Spirit (God) can create the hills and
seas.
Let the fiendship imps come on at once ;
Let nets be spread in heaven and earth surround-
ing us with double folds;
Do you, soldiers and officers, expand your minds
with courage.
Let the watch go their rounds, by day and by
night, and strictly guard ;
Let plans be laid, and silence reign throughout the
camp.
Formerly Yo-fei with five hundred men defeated
a hundred thousand.
How much more then shall we be able to exter-
minate these impish fiends.
Respect this.
On the 1 9th day of the 8th month, of the Sin-
hae year, (Sep. 24th, 1851), when on board a boat,
the celestial king issued a proclamation, saying.
We earnestly beseech you, soldiers and officers, to
obey the commands of Heaven, and do not anymore
oft'end; We, on this occasion, most sincerely im-
press upon you this assurance, that those who at the
present time do not covet life or fear death, will
afterwards ascend to heaven, where they will enjoy
eternal life and immortality ; but those of you who
covet life will not get life, and those of you who dread
death will meet with death. Moreover, those who
at the present time do not covet ease or fear misery.
sliall afterwards ascend to heaven, where they
shall enjoy eternal tranquillity and freedom from
every woe: but those of you who covet ease, will
not get ease, and those who fear misery will ex))eri-
ence misery. After all, obey Heaven’s commands,
and you will enjoy celestial bliss; disobey, and you
will go to hell ; we earnestly beseech you. there-
fore, both officers and soldiers, to awake from
your lethargy. If you offend any' more, do not
be surprised (if I punish }'ou). Respect this.
On the 7th day of the 8th month, in the Sin-
hae year, (13th Sept. 1851), while at the city of
Yung-gnan, the celestial king issued a proclama-
tion, urging every officer and soldier through-
orrt each legion and each camp, to display a public
spirit, and not on any account to manifest selfish-
ness, but to be single-minded ; so as to be able to
answer it to our heavenly Father, our celestial
elder Brother, — and Ourselves. From henceforth
it is commanded, to all you soldiers and officers,
that whenever you kill the imps, and take their
cities, ail the gold and silver, silks and satins,
with precious things, which are obtained, must
not be secreted for private use, but be altogether
brought into the holy treasury of our celestial
court. Those who offend against this, will be
condemned. Respect this.
On the 25th day of the 9th month, of the Sin-
k'hae year (30th Oct. 1851) while at the city of
Yung-gnan, the celestial king issued a proclama-
tion, to all the officers and soldiers tliroughout
the host, both great and small, earnestly beseech-
ing them to obey the commands of Heaven, with
joy and exultation, with courage and ardor, with
united effort and eirergy, to press forward in the
contest, reverently obeying the injunctions given
us by our heavenly Father, and celestial elder
Brother. It is now commanded to all the legions,
that after every battle against the imps (enemies),
every Serjeant shall stand and record the names
of the privates under his command. Those who
have been most distinguished for obeying orders
and marching forw'ard, are to be marked with a
circle, to indicate their merit ; those who have been
most distinguished for disobeying orders and run-
ning away, are to be marked with a cross, to
designate their crime. Those who have been
distingrrished neither one way nor the other, are
to be left without any mark. Y'hen the record
is complete, the Serjeant is to take the book and
hand it u]) to the centurion, the centurion is to
give it to the leader of the cohort, and the leader
of the cohort is to pass it over to the commander
of the legion, who in his turn is to present it to
the general, and the general to the inspector-
general, who shall further send it to the director-
general, and the director-general shall lay it before
the minister of state ; the minister of state shall
further comm.unicate it to the generalissimo, who
sliall report it to our little heaven, in order to
settle the degree of rank to which each one shall
be elevated or degraded. Small merits shall be
requited with small rewards, and great merits
shall be distinguished by conspicuous jiromotions ;
let every one therefore juit forth his utmost ener-
gies, and display self-respect. Respect this.
On the 12th day of the 10th month, of the Sin-
k’hae year (17th Nov. 1851), whilst at the city of
Yung-gnan, the celestial king issued a proclama-
tion, earnestly beseeching all the officers and
soldiers, throughout the host, both gieat and small, I
to obey Heaven’s commands, with joy and e.xulta-
tion, with patience and endurance, with courage
and ardour, with united strength and vigour, to
press forward in the contest, reverently obeying
the laws and institutions of our heavenly Father,
and celestial elder Brother. Formerly we issued
a command, saying, It is not an easy matter to i
go to heaven ; the most important thing, however,
is determination and patience ; having these you
will certainly succeed. Therefore be resolute,
and carefully' avoid falling into error, when but
half-way there: for the devil’s paths are deviou.s
and deflected. According to present appearances,
all of you, soldiers and people, must know that
the impish fiends have various methods of de-
ceiving people, and that the devil’s ways are !
devious and deflected ; further you must know that '
OUR former declaration to you was correct. Now -
WE issue this special proclamation, to you soldiers
and people, great and small, earnestly beseeching
you to be patient and firm, not moved by delusive
solicitations, but really determined implicity to
obey Heaven, and faitbfully to serve your country
even to the end. Your heavenly Father and ce-
lestial elder Brother have their eyes fixed upon
y'ou, aird we have also got our eyes fixed upon
you. ^Ve further command that those meritorious
ministers, who have from first to last died in
battle and ascended to lieaveii. be promoted to a
rank equal to that of director-general, with honours
descending to their posterity; tho.'-e m.et itorious
officers, also, who h;ive home (mr standards in the
fight, and are now gone to heaven, shall be pro-
moted to a rank equal to that of general-in-chicf, j
or imperial body-guard. Those who have been
already promoted, have their caps and coats
according to the official form; those who have
not yet beeir promoted have caj)s like the Ser-
jeants. Those who have been promoted in one
body, and those who have not been promoted
in another class, may all conte u;) into our
little heaven; while all those n.eritorious of-
ficers, who together with us engage in attacking
the hills and l ivers (of China), sh.-.H if greatly
successful he premoteti to be ministers of state,
inspectors-general, di rectors- generid. generals-in-
chief, and inqierial body-guards: tiic very small-
est of them shall be commanders of legions, with
honours conferred on their po.-terity, wearing dra-
gon-adorned robes, and gem-bespangled girdles,
standing in our celestial court. '\Vf. sincerely
announce to you, that since we have all had the
happiness to become sons and daughters of our
heavenly Father, and brothers and sisters of our
celestial elder Brother, we small enjoy incompara-
ble dignity in tins present woi Id, and interminable
felicity in the next. MT; ask you. now, whether
of all honours there be any dignity to be compared
to this? Furthermore we earnestly beseech all,
soldiers and officers, of every legion,. exultingly
and unitedly to obey the commands and requisi-
tions of our heavenly Father and celestial elder
Brother. The fiendish imps (our enemies) are
full of artlul designs, therefore we earnestly en-
treat all of you, both soldiers and officers, to be
on your guard, and do not vainly lament when
morning dawns, that you have fallen into the
devil’s wiles. Respect this.
On the 25th day of the 10th inontli, of the Sin-
k’h.ie year, (Nov. 30th 1851), while at Yung-
gnati, the celestial king issued a proelatnation,
enjoining on all the officers and soldiers through-
out the host, both great and small, to know well
the true doctrine and follow it : nameh' this : our
heavenly Father, the great God and supreme Lord,
is one true Spirit fGod); besides our heavenly
Fatlier the great Gad, and supreme Lord there
is na s|iirit (god). The great God, oui heavenly
F.ilher and supreme Lord, is omniscient, omnipo-
tent, and om lipresent, the Sujrremo over all. Tliere
is not i.n indiviiln il who is not |)ro.lueed and uou-
r'shed hy him. lie is .Vvayg. Sanreme. Meistlie Te,
Ruler. besides the great Gad, our heavetily Fa-
ther an 1 suoreme Lord, there is no one vvhocmbe
called Sitin'', and no one who can he called 7’e.§
Therefo.'e from henceforth, all you soldiers and
officers, m ly ilesignate Us as your lord, and that
is all ; you must not call me Supreme, lest you
should encroach upon the designation of our hea-
venly Father. Our heaveul}' Father is our holy
Father, and our celestial elder Brother is our holy
Lord the Saviour of the world. Hence our hea-
venly Father and celestial elder Brother alone are
hall/: and from iienceforth, all you soldiers and
officers, may designate Us as your lord and that
is all, but you must not call me holy, lest you en-
croach u])on the designation of our heavenly Fa-
ther and celestial elder Brother. The great God.
our heavenly F Pher and supreme Lord, is
our sph-ii lal F.ither, our ghostly Father. For-
merly VV ; 11 1 ordered you to designate, the
first an I s-“con 1 ministers of state, together with
the gene - ils-m-ciiief of the van an 1 rear of the
armv, cay;' ■'■il.her.'i. which was a temporary indul-
gence. n .M I f ir n ty w,th the corrupt custirn. of
the prese.ii w.i dd; but according to the true doc-
trine. this Was a slight encroachment on the pre-
rojative of our heavenly Father, for our heavenly
F itlier is alone entitled to the designation of Fa-
ther. We have now appointed the chief minister
of state and general-in-chicf to be designated the
eastern king, having charge of all the states in
the easter.i region : we have also appointed the
second minister of state and assistant general-in-
chief to be designated the western king, having
charge of all the states in the western region : we
have further appointed the general of the advanc-
ed guard to bj designated the southern king, hav-
ing charge of all the states in the southern region;
and we have likewise appointed the general of the
rear guard to be designated the northern king,
having charge of all the states in the northern
region ; we have furthermore appointed our brother
Shih-tah-k- hae to be assistant king, to aid in sus-
taining our celesti.al court. All the king.s above
referred to. are to be under the superintendence
of the eastern king. We have also issued a pro-
§ The translator may be allowed here to quote a
passage written and printed by him in 1848, before he
had the slightest idea of the sentiments entertained hy
the leader of the present insurrection :
“If we were asked whether, with the views enter-
tained by us, we should discountenance the use of the
word Te for an e nporor, we should say, just as much as
the apostles would have done the employment of T/leos
before Caesar, or D'lnts before Augustus ; and we have no
doubt that, in proportion, as the Gospel triumphs, such
practices will be discontinued. "
el.imation designating uw -tiuccii as the lady of all
ladies, (empress) anil our concubines a.s royal
ladies. Respect this.
On the 27th day of the 1st month, of the Jin-
tsze year, (IMuich 2d, 1852), at the city of Yung-
gnan, the celestial king issued a proclamation,
earnestly beseeching all the officers and .soldiers,
throughout the hosts, great and small, male and
female to obey the commands of Heaven. We
now especially direct our brother Yaug-sew-tsing,
our sister’s husband .Seaou-chaou-kwei, our bro-
ther Fung-yim-san, our brother Wei-ching, and
our brother Sliih-tah-k’hae, together with all the
commanders of legions, most strictly and frequent-
ly to inspect the soldiers of the army, whether or
not they oTciid against the seventh command ; for
if they do, as soon as it is discovered, they shall
be immediately taken up and beheaded, as a
warning to all. There shall assuredly be no for-
giveness : and we e.kpressly enjoin upon the sol-
diers and officers not to shew the least leniency, or
screen the o.'lenders, lest we bring down upon our-
selves the indign.ition of the great God our hea-
venly Father. Let every one be on his guarri.
Respect this.
On the 3l)tli lay of the 2d month, of the Jiii-
tsze year, (5t!i ,\pr 1 1852), at Yung-gnan, the
celestial king issue 1 a proclamation, expressly-
enjoining on all the male officers and female of-
ficers throughout the host, to obey the commands
of Heaven, with joy and exultation, firmness and
patienee, courage and ardour, valiantly to fight
against the imps (enemies), for —
Let the impish fiends amount to thousands and
myriads.
They will hardly escape the hand of our heavenly
Father ;
If he could make the land and sea in six days,
You may easily believe that our ghostly Father
is a hero.
High Heaven has commissioned you to kill the
impish fiends.
Our heavenly Father and celestial elder Brother
have their eyes upon you.
Let the male and female officers, all grasp the
swor 1 :
As for your apo irel. one ehange will be sufficient,
Unitedly rouse yoar courage together, and slay the
fiends ;
Let gold and silver with bag and baggage be dis-
regarded ;
Divest yourselves cf worldly motives and look to
heaven.
Where there are g.oldeu tiles and golden houses,
all glorious to behold ;
In heaven above you m.iy enjoy happiness and
dignity in tjie extreme ;
The very meanest and smallest will be clothed in
silks and satins ;
The males will be adorned with dragon-embroid-
ered robes, and the females with flowers.
Let each one therefore be faithful and exert their
utmost enei'gie.s.
Respect this.
Oil the 10th day of the 8th month, of the Jin-
tsze year, (November 15th 1852). at Chang-sha,
the celestial king issued a proclamation to all the
officers and soldiers throughout the host, both
groat and small, enjoining on them from hence-
forth not a^aiti to secrete for priva'c use p;ol(i or
silver, but pay it all into the holy treasury of our
celestial court; should any ofFend in this respect,
as soon as it is found out, they will be beheatled
as a waruiii^ to all. Respect this.
The celestial king appends the following itro-
claniation ; —
We hereby command you, ministers and peo-
ple, to make a distinction between males and
females; men are to manage outside affairs and
not to listen to what goes on within; women are
to manage domestic concerns, and not to trouhie
themselves about external matter.s. Wr; tlicvefore
especially command, that from henceforth outside
aftiiirs arc not to be reported inside, and internal
affairs are not to be reported outside. As to tiie
inmates of the harem, they are to be general-
ly termed ladies, and ministers inust be espe-
cially careful not to speak of the names and
surnames, rank and station of the inmates of
the harem ; these iiiust on no account be talked
about or discussed ; should any offend in this
particular they .shall be belicaded without mercy'.
No subject is ever to look upon rlie face of
any of the inmates of the harem; let every one
hang down his head, and cast down his eyes, not
daring to lift them up from the ground, for wlio-
soever glances at the faces of the inmates of the
liarc;!i shall he beheaded without mercy. Wliat is
s.iid in tiic harem must never be reiioried outside.
Should auy subjects or female officers dare to re-
port outside, what is said in the b-ircm, they' »ball
be beheaded witlunif mercy. What is said liy
any subject must not be reported inside, if the
speech of any subject is reported inside, then the
person rc])mting it -shall be beheaded without
mercy, and the subject who uttered the speech
shall also he beheaded without mercy. We sin-
cerely annonnee this to yon. 'I’o keep tlie harem
distinct is tlie foundation of good government, and
honest nior.ils; it is not that We are desirous of
making severe restrictions, but We wisli to carry
out the holy will of onr heavenly Father, and
celestial elder Brother, in beheading the lewd and
sparing the correct. Should there be the least
dejiarture from this rule it would not do at all.
Now th It We have issued this decree, not only
must our subjects in the present day obey, but
throagliout our celestial dynasty and celestial em-
))iie, for myriads and myriads of y'ears, generation
after generation, whoever becomes a subject of this
state must comply with this rule. I'liese are our
words. Respect ibis.
Given on the 28th day of the 1st mouth, of the
3d year of our reign, (March 3d, 1833.)
W. H. M.
BOOK OF DECLARATIONS OF THE DIVINE WILL,
JIADE DURING 'J'HE HEAVENLY FATHER’S
DESCENT UPON EARTH.
Oil the 2!)th day of the 10th month of the Sin-
kae year (Dec. 4th, 1851), the 1st of the Tae-ping
dynasty, Sew-tsing,* Yun-shan,f We-ching,;]; and
Tah-kae,§ attended at court, when Yun-slian in-
formed his Jlajesty, saying, — “To-day 1, your
younger brother, with We-ching, Tah-kae, Tsang
Teen-fang, and Jilting Tili-teen, went to brother
Sew-tsing’s dwelling in company, to hold a con-
ference, with the view of praying your Majesty to
give an appointment to Chow Seih-nang; wlien
suddenly the heavenly Father came down into
the world, and directed us to fetter Chow Seih-
nang; having given which command, he said, ‘I
shall now return to Heaven.’ ’’ Sew-tseuen|| there-
upon asked, “ Plas he been seized?” They re-
plied “ He has been already taken into custody.”
Sew-tseucn said “ What a mighty display of the
heavenly Father's power is this ! let us kneel down
and acknowledge the celestial favour.” The princes
thereupon dispersed.
That same night Yun-shan and Tah-kae at-
tended at court again, and reported that the
heavenly Father had come down a second time.
Sew-tseuen thereupon hastened into the divine
presence; when the heavenly Father directed
him to summon Chow Seih-nang. The examina-
tion over, the heavenly Father said, “I shall now
return to Heaven;” Sew-tseuen also returned to
his palace, and commanded We-ching and the
other ministers to record the declared will of the
heavenly Fathrr during his descent upon earth.
AVe-ching commissioned Mung Tih-teen and
Tsang Teen-fang to carry out this instruction.
On the 4th day of the 1 1th month (Dec. 9th, 1851),
Sew-tseuen perused the document, which read as
follows : —
We, Tsang Teen-fang and IMung Tih-teen,
in obedience to command, hereby record the
following declared will of the heavenly Father, the
supreme Lord, the great God, given during his
descent amongst men.
On the 29th day of the 10th month (Dec. 4th),
Fung, prince of the south, AVei, prince of the
north, and Shih, the assistant prince, accompanied
by ourselves, repaired in a body to the dwelling
of Yang, the eastern prince, to pay him our
respects, and also to confer with him concerning
certain weighty affairs of this earthly domain of
our heavenly Father, the supreme Lord, and
great God. AA’e had not spoken above a few
words, when, all on a sudden, the heavenly Fa-
ther came down amongst us, and secretly addres-
* Eastern Prince. t Southern Prince,
t Northern Prince. § Assistant Prince.
II The leader of the insurrection.
sed the princes, saying, ‘There is a person named
Chow Seih-nang, a treacherous traitorous man,
who has been in collusion with the Tartar elves,
and has returned to court, intending to co-operate
with them in a scheme to subvert your designs ;
are you aware of this?’ AV’e all said, ‘No.’ —
The heavenly Father then said, ‘Send at once
and attach the persons of three men, and keep
them in custody for the present ; until I give
directions respecting them.' AVe all replied,
‘Your commands shall be obeyed!’ The Father
thereupon rejoined, ‘You must all act prudently
and with secrecy, whilst I return to Heaven.’
After the departure of the heavenly Father, we,
Tsang Teen-fang and jVIung Tih-teen, together
with the three princes, reported this declaration of
the heavenly Father to Yang, the prince of the
east. On being made acquainted with its purport,
he became excessively indignant, and forthwith
directed a fierce attendant to apprehend the traitor
imp Chow Seih-nang, as also the two confederates
of the Tartar elves Choo-pah, and Chin-woo,
and commit them all three into custody, to await
their trial; this done, he reported the matter to
the celestial king.^ That evening the northern
prince proceeded to question the prisoners, but
without any satisfactory result. Happily, how-
ever, the heavenly Father gave himself the trouble
to appear once more, and ordered Yang Jun-tsing,
and Yjng Poo-tsing, the two royal cousins, to go
to the several princes and inform them of his
presence. The princes, on learning the fact, at-
tended at court, and intreated the celestial king
to accompany them; whereupon his Majesty,
guarded by the princes and body-guards, together
with a host of officials, ourselves included, ad-
vanced into the presence of the heavenly Father.
Arrived there, the king with all his ministers
knelt down, and asked saying, ‘ Is the heavenly
Father come down? ’ The heavenly Father then
addressed the celestial king, saying, ‘ Sew-tseuen,
I am going to take this matter in hand to-day ; a
mere mortal would find it a hard task: there is
one Chow Seih-nang, a traitor at heart, who
yesterday, after holding some collusive com-
munication with the enemy, returned to court,
intending to carry into effect a very serious
revolt; are you aware of this?’ The king re-
joined, ‘ Tsing and the other brethren have already
informed me of this; I am fortunate in being
able to depend upon the heavenly Father’s power
and ability in the management of the matter this
day ; otherwise I should find it a hard task.’
AA’hen he had finished speaking, the heavenly
^ The leader of the insurrection.
Fallit-r coniniaiuled Muiig Tih-teeii. saying, ‘Go
you and fetch Chow Seili-nang.’ Mung Tih-teen
replied, ‘Your commands shall heobeyeii;’ and
forthwith brought Chow Seih-nang into the pre-
sence of the heavenly Father. The heavenly
Father then addressed that individual thus, ‘ Chow
Seih-nang! from whence did yon come lately ! '
Seih-nang; ‘ After iepeated applications through
the eastern and other princes to the sovereign, I
was graciously permitted to return to Po-pih**
to assemble the brethren and sisters.’
The Father; ‘With whom did yon go?’
Seih-nang; ‘ With Hwang Chow-leen.’
Tile Father; ‘Chow Seih-nang! who is it that
is now speaking to you in the eastern palace ?’
Seih-nang; ‘The heavenly Father, the su-
preme Lord, and great God is addressing me.’
The Father; ‘And who is the Sun?’
Seih-nang ‘The Sun is my sovereign, the ce-
lestial king, the true sovereign of all the kingdoms
under Heaven.’
The Father; ‘Over what breadth of space does
the Sun shine ?’
Seih-nang; ‘He illumines the entire world.’
The Father; ‘ Does he shine upon you?’
Seih-nang; ‘He does.’
The I'ather; ‘AVho is it that is now managing
this matter?’
Seih-nang; ‘It is the heavenly Father, the su-
preme Lord, and great God.'
The I'ather; ‘Seih-nang, are you aware that
the heavenly Father is omnipotent, omnipresent,
and o;iiniscient ?’
Seih-nang; ‘I am aware that the heavenly
Father is possessed of those attributes.’
The Father; ‘Are you aware that China, in
this world of mortals, has, for many years past,
paid me no reverence?’
Seih-nang ; ‘ The inhabitants of China, blind to
tlie goodness of the heavenl}' Father, have long
neglected and ceased to worship Him.’
Tlie Father; ‘ Do you know the measure of the
heavenly Father’s indulgence?’
Seih-nang ; ‘ Hisindnlgence is vast as theocean.’
Tlie Father; ‘Are yon aware that the heavenly
Father can assist men?’
Seih-nang; ‘ I know that he can assist men ; he
has already aided me several times.’
The Father ; ‘ If you know that I have often as-
sisted you, }'ou must be aw'are that your evil deeds
cannot be concealed from Heaven; tell me then
truly vv’herein you have done wrong.’
Seih-nang; (attempting to deceive Heaven) said,
• I am a man of honest disposition, and I w'ould
not act towards Heaven with double heart; I did
really return home to assemble the brethren and
sisters.’
'The Father; ‘Heaven and myself are identical,
i can fully discern whether j'ou are double or
single-minded; as you state that you really re-
turned home to assemble the brethren and sisters,
[iray tell me how many persons you have brought
hither?’
Seih-nang; ‘I brought hither above 190 per-
sons.’
The Father; ‘When did the brethren whom
yon have brought leave Po-pih, and how did yon
manage to transport them hither?’
‘ ■ A places in Kwanp-e.
Seili-nang; ‘In the first place I am mucli in- i
debted to the Father, for moving Clioo Seih-keeand -
Leang Shih-luh to consult with me, and under 1
pretence of conveying volunteers for tlie imps p
(enemies), we started with thebrethren from Po-pih,
on the 10th day of the 10th month (Nov. l.jth), 1
and arrived here on the "ilst day of the same '
month (Nov. 2(ith). 6
The Father; ‘According to your own account, c
you brought more than 190 persons; hovv came it I
then that hut three of you reached this place; 1
pray where are the rest of the brethren whom you I
brought?’ i
Seih-nang; ‘Having adopted the pretence of I
conveying volunteers for the imps (enemies), I w'as ^
compelled, against my will to convey them to the
imps’ (enemy’s) cam)) at Siii-heu, where they
have been these seven or eight days.’
The Fatlier; ‘Chow Seih-nang! when you re-
turned to court, what did you tell your prince ?'
Seih-nang; ‘I did not attempt to deceive the
prince, in what I told him ujion my return to court ;
I certainly made a mistake in saying that I liad
returned only 3 or !■ days before, an error I fell
into through not counting tlie days: hut now, not
presuming to talk at random in the iiresence of
the heavenly Father, I should say, on carefully
reckoning the number of days, that seven or eight
days have elapsed since my return.’
The Father; ‘ Chow Seih-nang ! tiie liundred
and odd people yon brought entered, yon say, the
impish camp; do you know what impish chief
was at tlie head of the said camp.’
Seih-nang. ‘The name of the said impish
chief was Sae ;f f he is an uncle of that imp Heen-
Ling.’ + J
The Father , ‘ What did yon say to him when
yon saw him ?’ i
Seih-nang; ‘When I saw the iiujiish chief, he
held no conversation with me: what could I then I
have to say him ?’
The Father; ‘When you got into the iiiipisli
camp, how did yon manage to get out again and
return hither to court '
Seili-nang; ‘I told the impish chief that I
wanted to go out of the barrier, to guard the road
for him ; I then put on a sword and dagger,
mounted a white horse, and accompanied by Choo- -
pah, the uncle of Choo Seih-kwaii, with my sister's
son Chin-woo, I came thence directly towards the
holy cam)), and so managed to escape here into
the celestial court ; on reaching this, I told the
prince that I had returned, in order to relieve him
from further anxiety. As to the hundred and
mire persons brought by me, and now in the im-
pish camp at Sin-hen, they were only going to
wait until I had come hither to report these par-
ticulars, after which they would all come in a
body without fail. Such is the tine state of the
case.’
The Father; ‘ Chow Seih-nang! I snsjiect lluit
there would be some failure in their coming, as
you state; do you suppose (if you had brought
them with you) that your prince would not have
recognized yon ; or did you harbour any suspicions
of your prince.’
Chow Seih-nang could say nothing to this, so
the heavenly Father resumed ; ‘ Now Chow Seih-
+ t Sae-sliang-a.
H The emperor of China.
naiig! jvist i-elato to me honestly, from beginning
to entl, tills scheme of yours to impose u|)on
Heaven ; for you must know that you cannot im-
pose upon tlie heavenly Father.’
Chow Seih-nang, fancying that his treasona-
ble plan was of so aggravated a nature, that it
would he punished without mercy, feared to con-
fess it at once, hut continued his attempts to de-
ceive Heaven, as follows; ‘I really returned to
the court with an honest intention ; it was because
I found the roads so difficult to pass, that I was
forced to feign myself an adherent of the imps,
and to turn soldier to them ; I really did return
hither b)' fr uidulent means as I have described ;
but further than that I have cherished no sinister
designs. I pray the heavenly Father of his
mercy to pardon mj' sin.’
'J'he Father; ‘ Chow Seih-nang! are you really
ignorant of the extent of my forbearance ? Has
China failed to worship me for a long series of
years, whilst I bore with her neglect ; and can I not
treat you with forbearance, even though you have
slightly erred ?’
(Chow Seih-nang still feared to acknowledge
the truth.)
The Father; ‘Chow Seih-nang! it was I, God
the Father, who begot you and brought you up ;
you should not therefore render all my e.xertions
on your behalf of no avail. 1 know well how your
whole ))lan has been carried out from the time
that you left, until the day that you returned ;
why then persist in concealing it from Heaven ?
You are surely aware that Heaven presides over
this matter; you know too that the great God is
possessed of omniscience; fuither, that the Sun
shines over the whole em])ire.§§ Now since the
great God, the heavenly Father is here present,
and your sovereign the celestial king is also here,
win- do you yet persist in cherishing a traitorous
heart ? am I not aware whether what you tell me
is the truth, or whether it is not the truth ? tell
me then honestly the whole truth, for I warn you,
that if you continue to deny the allegations brought
against you, and make it necessary for me to ex-
pose your traitorous heart, that you will be in a
difficulty.’
Chow Seih-nang still hesitated to acknowledge
his guilt, and, continuing his attempts at decep-
tion, said ; ‘ 1 really am not harboring a traitorous
feeling against Heaven ; I beseech the heavenly
Father to have mercy upon me!’
The Father; ‘Are you aware that I, the hea-
venly Father, am the great God and Ruler of the
whole universe, and that when I will the life of a
man, he lives, and when I will his death, he dies?’
Seih-nang ; ‘ I know that the heavenly Father
the great God, who created heaven and earth, is
the one true Spirit (God,) aud supreme Ruler; I
now own that I am in the wTong, and I pray the
heavenly Father to have mercy aud pardon my
sin: of a truth I dare not harbor a traitor's heart,
and attempt to impose upon Heaven.’
The heavenly Father, then pointing directly at
Chow Seih-nang, said; ‘Chow Seih-nang! if
you did not harbor a traitor’s heart, and endeavour
to impose upon Heaven, pray, what object had
you in bringing those two men with you to this
court ?’
§§ Alluding to the leader of the insiUTection.
Chow Seih-nang, (still attempting to deceive)
said, ‘The two men, who accompanied me hither,
said they wished to follow me back to the court,
in order to worship God, the heavenly Father.’
The Father, again pointing at Chow Seih-nang,
said, ‘Chow Seih-nang! if you, as you aver,
simply brought those two men with you hither to
worship God, what conversation was it that these
two individuals held with Choo Seih-kwan and
Hwang- wang-au, yesterday evening in the still-
ness of the night ? Think you that I know not
that you are still attempting to deceive me ? If
you w'ould but acknowledge your error, and tell
the truth, I would pardon you ; if you make it
necessar}' for me to expose the whole matter my-
self: you will be in difficulty.’
Chow Seih-nang, not being able to avoid tell-
ing tlte truth, replied; ‘When I was abroad, I
erroneously followed the imps, and having been
seduced by them, I did, according to an impish
plan suggested by themselves, return to the court,
for the purpose of moving within the camp, in co-
operation with their attack from without. This
scheme did not however originate in any inten-
tion of my own ; I beg the heavenly F'ather, there-
fore, to have mercy upon me.’
The Father, (again pointing at Seih-nang)
said, ‘ You say that this traitorous scheme to sub-
vert the cause did not originate with your own
intention ; if so, why did you, within one day
after your return, take persons to spy at the tur-
rets over the gates of the celestial court,|||| and
what passed between you there?’
Chow Seih-nang (moved with shame) replied ;
‘ Before my mind was thoroughly awakened, I
went to the turrets over the four city gates, to ex-
amine their condition ; and, while there, spoke of
the ease with which they could be attacked ; but
I was under the delusion of the devil at the time ;
and did not act thus traitorously of my own free
will ; I pray therefore the heavenly Father to par-
don my sin.’
The Father (pointing directly at Chow Seih-
nang) said, ‘ You say that you did not act thus
traitorously of your own free will ; how then came
it to pass, that the moment you returned to the
court, you hastened to see your wife, and secretly
enjoined certain things upon her; pray what did
you say to her ?’
The heavenly Father having thus begun to
display his omniscience, and Chow Seih-nang,
whilst kneeling down, having heard the heavenly
Father, the great God, thus repeatedly discover the
real truth, and perceiving that he could no more
conceal his traitorous intentions, but that the eye
of Heaven shone broadly upon him and the true
Spirit (God) could not be imposed upon; then
divulged the truth, saying; ‘ I, Chow Seih-nang,
having been deluded by the devil, was certainly
misled by the impish chief, and entered into a wick-
ed scheme with them, to return hither to court,
for the purpose of winning away the hearts of the
soldiers, and effecting a simultaneous attack from
within and without, under promise of a large re-
ward in impish honors ; this scheme I entered into
of my own free will, and thus have rebelled against
Heaven. But though my treason has been of such
nil The insurgents were at Yung-gnan-chow, in Kwang-
se, at this time.
extent, I pray the heavenly Father, of his extraor-
dinary mercy, to pardon me.’
The Father : ‘ Now as for Choo-pah ; what did
he intend to do ?’
Chow Seih-nang, (wishing to screen Choo-pah)
said, ‘ He intended to do nothing.’
The Father; ‘Chow Seih-nang! to whom are
you most bound ? whether to the lieavenly Father,
or to that man ? whether to your sovereign, or to
that man ?’
Seih-nang : ‘ I am most bound to the heavenly
Father, and to my sovereign the celestial king.’
The Father; ‘ Since you are aware that you are
more intimately bound to the heavenly Father,
why do you refuse to declare honestly Choo-pah’s
treason ? Should I discover it for you, will you
consent to bear his punishment?’
Seih-nang, (perceiving he could not screen
Choo-pah, prayed the heavenly Father’s pardon)
saying, ‘ I really cannot impose upon the hea-
venly Father, and I pray the heavenly Father to
jjardon my sin. The truth is, that the impish
chief concerted a plan with Choo Seih-kee, and
Choo-pah, to send them into the celestial court, to
kill and slay. That man Choo-pah, the devil
having entered into his heart, did really come for
this purpose.’
The heavenly Father hereupon commanded
me Tsang Teen-fang to send some one to sum-
mon Choo Seih-kwan, and Hwang Wang-an,
whereupon I answered, “ I obey.” In a moment
the two persons indicated a|)pcared in the presence,
and kneeling enquired ‘ is the heavenly Father
come down ?’
The heavenly Father said, ‘ Choo Seih-kwan !
you conversed with Chow' Seih-nang, and Choo-
pah, during the first watch last evening; what did
they say?’ He replied ; ‘ Yesterday evening, Chow
Seih-nang and Choo-pah endeavoured to seduce
me to join the imps, promising me office as a re-
ward for so doing ; T became most indignant, and
told them that I was not the man to act thus.
This morning I happened to receive orders to go
to the camp of the river-volunteers to draw up the
muster roll, and I went, intending to return to
night and report the circumstance. To my sur-
prise, however, I have rendered it necessary for the
heavenly Father to trouble himself to come down ;
I acknowledge my error, and pray the heavenly
Father, of his e.xtraordinary mercy, to pardon me.’
The heavenly Father thereupon blamed Choo
Seih-kwan, saying, ‘ When you heard such a
proposal, you should instantly have reported it to
your prince, for the information of your sovereign
the celestial king ; why, on the contrary, did you
wait till I had summoned you hither, before you
made it known ?’ This said, the Father ordered
him to receive 100 blows. He then blamed the
man again, saying; ‘You, a director of the arm}',
and yet ignorant of the difference between promp-
titude and delay I’ Whereupon he ordered him
to receive another hundred blows.
The heavenly Father then interrogated Hwang
Wang-an saying; ‘Hwang Wang-an, what did
Chow Seih-nang say to you yesterday?’ Hwang
Wang-an leplied, ‘ When I asked Chow Seih-
nang how he had managed to make his escape
and get back, he told me that, under pretence of
recruiting for the im|)ish troops, he had gone into
{he imps’ camp at Sin-heu, from whence he had
got away back again. On my enquiring how
many impish troops there were in the camp, he
said, that they were not very numerous, and that
they intended making an attack U|)on us the
day after but one, namely the 3rd of the month.
I further asked him, as he bad been in the impish
camp, whether he knew any thing of the wicked
plans their chief had in view; he said that the
devils had no particular plans in prospect, but
that he had learnt the inqiish chief was anxious
to employ a man to come into our camp and win
away our soldiers; he also led me to understand
that, while in the impish camp, he had been in-
vested with a button of the sixth rank, and that the
imps were not anxious to meet our holy warriors
in battle, but rather intended to purchase our
good-will by money. Such is thepurport of what
he told me.’ ”
The heavenly Father thereu])on blamed Hwang
Wangan, saying, ‘knowing all this, how came it
that you did not at once report the matter to your
Prince ? ’
Hwang Wangan replied, ‘ I confess my sin, and
pray the heavenly Father, of his extraordinary
mercy to forgive me; I was blinded at the time,
and fancied he was talking nonsense ; I did not
think of trying to discern the treasonable motives
he had at heart.’
The heavenly Father, blaming him again, said,
‘You received from Heaven a commission to act
as inspector, but now what have you been doing
in fulfilment oy your duties ! You must receive
100 blows.’ After the blows had been administer-
ed, the heavenly Father spoke kindly to Hwang
Wangan, saying, ‘ Henceforward be more careful
to discern the truth, and always strive to be more
than usually intelligent, and reformed in conduct.’
Hwang Wangan rejoined, ‘Having experienced
the mercy of the Father in transforming my heart,
I will not again presume to be neglectful, but will
obey the heavenly Father’s instructions.’
The heavenly Father then commanded the
prince of the north to go out in front of the palace
of the jirince of the east, and address the troops.
The prince of the north, having received this
command, loudly harangued the soldiers, as fol-
lows; ‘ Soldiers! we are indebted to the power and
ability of the heavenly F'ather and great God, in
having laid open and confounded the schemes of
the impish devils, and in having exposed the
traitorous desings of dhow Seih-nang, whereby he
intended to rebel against Heaven. Rejoice to-
gether and leap for joy, ye soldiers and officers!
resolutely obey Heaven ; Heaven will carry out
what it has undertaken ; he courageous all of you ;
and ever remember the power and goodness of the
heavenly Father, in everything endeavouring to
be intelligent and to reform.’ The assembled
troops cried out with one voice, ‘ The heavenly
Father, the great God, He is omniscient. He is
omnipotent.’
The heavenly Father, sighing, addressed Chow
Seih-nang, saying; ‘Seih-nang! I, the heavenly
Father, having discovered your schemes of rebellion
against Heaven, did not expose them without
reason, nor accuse you wrongfully; according to
your own statement I was right.’ Chow Seih-nang
repentingly rejoined, ‘The heavenly Father has
rightly exposed my errors, and I have recounted
my designs of rebellion against Heaven, also with-
out a single mis-statement. I know that by my
errors I liave oirended against tlie laws, and that
my crimes are beyond forgiveness; I repent them
now when too late.’ The holy warriors of the
great God, and the assemhled troops, hearing this,
were one and all moved with indignation, and,
gnashing their teeth, prayed the heavenly Father
to order the traitorous devil to be instantly cut
into ten thousand pieces, and burnt with fire.
The heavenly Father replied, ‘ Be courageous, my
children, and fear not to rejoice together; reso-
lutely submit to Heaven; I have the direction of
affairs.’ He then addressed the celestial king
saying ‘Sew-tseuen! be composed; I am about to
return to Heaven.’ At this time, it was already the
;5d watch of the night; so the ministers, &c., all
escorted their sovereign back to his palace. .'Viter
they had cried ‘Long live the king,’ tliey all re-
turned to their respective quarters, glorifying and
praising the goodness of the heavenly Father, and
conversing one with another, on the omniscience
and extraordinary power of (rod.’
-Vll on a sudden, the heavenly Father returned
to earth and directed tlie royal cousin, Yang
Yun-tsing, to send some one to the residence of all
the princes, to tell them of his presence. VVe,
tliereupon, together with all the officers of the
court, hastened into the presence of the heavenly
Father, and kneeling asked him, why he thus
took the trouble to re-appear. The Father there-
upon addressed the southern, northern, and assistant
princes, and the assembled officers of all ranks,
said; ‘I have this evening disclosed the schemes
of those fiends, and have exterminated those traitor-
ous imps; be increasingly careful, my children, to
advance yourselves in intelligence and improve-
ment; in all things I am present to dii-ect, fear
not therefore.’ They all replied ‘ \Ve know that
the heavenly Father’s power is great ; tve pray the
heavenly Father to regard us and regenerate our
hearts.’ The Father rejoined, ‘If you are still
ignorant of my power, recall to-night’s scene to
mind ; if still unaware of ray omniscience aiul
omnipotence, ponder what has passed. Learn to
know clearly the path to heaven, and carefully
abstain from going astray ; be courageous, and
resolutely obey Heaven ; fear not, I hold the su-
perintendence of affairs.’ They all cried ‘We
gratefully acknowledge the goodness of the Father,
ill troubling himself to instruct us, his children.’
The Father replied ‘Be composed; I shall now
return to heaven.’
The whole army then rejoiced together at the
goodness of the Father ; and proceeded to kill
pigs and oxen, and offer them up in thanksgiving
to the heavenly Father and great God, for his
power and mercy in confounding the fiendish
schemes of mortal imps, and his gracious care
over his children.
The next day the Father gave orders to bind
Chow Seih-nang, his wife Tsae Wanmei, his son
Chow Lechin, together with the imps who liad
been in collusion with him, Choo-pah, Chin-woo,
and others, and bring them forward; when they
were brought, Cliow Seih-nang, perceiving he
could not escape death, displayed some of his better
feelings, and with a loud voice addressed the as-
sembly, saying, ‘Brethren, of a truth Heaven has
this day interfered in this matter; be ye all careful
to serve your country with fidelity; learn from
me, not to harbor traitorous designs against Hea-
ven.’ His wife also, indignantly pointing toward
her husband, loudly scolded him, saying, 'Of a
truth Heaven has indeed interfered this day; of
a truth Heaven is now about to slay you, for
your treason and treachery. When you com-
municated to me these your designs, I then with
tears bade you forego them, and now alas mother
and son are by you murdered; of a truth you
have injured your fellows as well as yourself.' At
this moment Choo Seih-kwan, who was exposed
in a cangue at the door of the palace court, as an
example to all, also cried out, ‘Brethren, be
awakened; 1 am deeply indebted to the power and
might of the heavenly Father; for, but for his aid,
I should have been deceived by my uncle Choo-
pah ; my uncle has a wolfish heart, cut him, my
brethren, into a thousand pieces.’
At this time some sisters about the court re-
marked ‘We now understand why Chow Seih-
nang’s wife said to her sou. You wont wear these
cotton clothes long; in three days’ time, you will
be dressed in silks.’ Other women also related
how they had heard it said, that Chow Seih-nang’s
wife was yesterday seen packing her boxes, and
preparing things for her husband’s plan; also
that the day Chow Seih-nang was seen looking
about the city gates, she was observed sharpening
a great knife for his purposes. ‘ Who would have
thought,’ said all, ‘that God was directing all
affairs, and that he would so suddenly appear to
discover what was really about to take place, so
that the scheme should fail of accomplishment ; to
the eternal ruin and misery of the conspirator!
alas ! alas ! ’
The whole of the above colloquy is given in the
most common-place style of phraseology, and
contains a number of vulgarisms peculiar to the
Canton patois.
W. H. M.
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THE IMPERIAL DECLARATION OF T’HAE-PING.*
An Ode on the origin of virtue and the
SAVING or THE WoRl.D.
The great origin of virtue is from Heaven :
Let us now reverently allude to Heaven’s ways,
in order to arouse you worthies.
The way of Heaven is to punish the ahandoned
and bless the good.
Repent therefore without delay, and get the first
start in( 1 ) the race.
Virtue has one general root and origin, which is
none other than correctness:
Successive generations, whether early or late, come
to but one conclusion.
Aim to enjoy celestial bliss.
Free yourselves from worldly considerations.
Be not dragged away by the host of common feel-
ings I
Abandon at once the whole mass of vicious views.
The true Spirit who opened out the universe is
God alone.
He makes no distinction between noble and basej
he must be reverently adored.
God our heavenly Father is the one common
parent :
From of old it has been said that the world con-
sists of but one family.
From the time of Pwan-koo,(2) down to the three
dynastics(3).
Both princes and people together honoured one
Heaven.
During that period the sovereign honoured God ;
The nobles, scholars, and plebeians all did the
same :
It might be compared to children among men
honouring their father;
When both well and ill-informed followed the
Domestic Law.(4)
One feeling pervaded Heaven and men, there were
no two principles ;
And monarchs were not allowed to follow out their
private views.
Let God be worshipped.
In this let all unite.
Whether west or north.
Whether south or east.
( 1 ) There is an allusion here to one Lew-kwun, of the
Tsin dynasty(A.D. 320), who was on friendly terms with
Tsoo-teih, which latter person had his mind bent on
great undertakings ; when Lew-kwun addressed his fel-
lows saying, I lean on ray spear all night till morning,
anxious lest Tsoo-teih should first apply the whip, and
get the start in the race.
(2) The first man of whom the Chinese speak.
(3) Closed B.C. 220.
(4) The title of one of the chapters of the Book of
Ceremonies, treating on filial piety.
Every fibre and thread depends on God,
Every drop and soj) comes from the heavenly
Majesty;
It is your duty every morning to adore and every
evening to worsliip him;
Reason demands that you sliould praise him for
his goodness and sing of his doings.
Should men neglect, this duty, or worship any
other.
Let them prostrate themselves without end, it
would be all in vain.
Not only would it be without benefit, it would also
be injurious.
And by thus deluding your own mind, you would
incur endless guilt.
If men did not obliterate their natural conscience.
They would know that every breath they draw
depends on Heaven.
He created the elements of nature and all ma-
terial things.
No other spiritual being interferes with his ar-
rangements.
Let us then de|)end on God alone for assistance.
And never ascribe to idols the honour of creation.
If any .should say that creation depends on idols.
We would just enquire how things went on before
they were set up ?
He warms us by his sun, he moistens us by his
rain.
He moves the thunderbolt, he scatters the wind ;
All these are the wondrous operations of God
alone ;
Those who acknowledge Heaven’s favour, will
obtain a glorious reward.
Do not worship corrupt spirits.
Act like honest men ;
Heaven abhors that which is wrong.
And loves whatever is right.
Of all wrong things lewdness is the chief;
When men thus become fiends. Heaven’s wrath is
aroused.
Those who debauch others debauch themselves,
and they become fiends together.
Far better to sing of the foot-prints of the gentle
deer, and to celebrate a virtuous posteri-
ty.(5)
Depraved manners overturn men, who under such
circumstances can stand?
The only way is to reform your habits, and seek
renewal of mind.
Yen-hwuy loved learning, and did not repeat his
faults ;
(5) There is an allusion here to the book of Odes, one
of which contains the following stanza ; —
Like the foot-prints of the gentle deer.
Are a virtuous posterity :
Oil the gentle deer !
This purports to be from the pen of the chief of the insurrection, Hung-sew-tseuen himself.
Ills four cautious afraiiist iiuproiu-ieties arc fit to
arouse tlie mind. [from errors;
He wlio can reform liis errors, will soon be free
Tiiese aie the imstructious wliich tbe ancients le-
jieatedly inculcated, [duties,
I’rom of old princes and teacliers liad no other
Thau merely to jiroclaim tlie truth in order to
arouse tlie people. [in view,
I’rom of (dd good government had no other end
'riiau to induce men hy means of light doctrines
to improve their conduct.
Let all who possess bodily vigour and mental
intelligence.
Avoid outraging the common virtues and con-
founding tlie human relations.
Whoever is over-topped hy heaven and stands
erect on this earth, [to the true.
Should instantly return to the honest, and revert
Let him resist his devilish inclinations,
.\ud cultivate filial feelings.
The second kind of wrong is disobedience to
parents ;
This is a great offence against Heaven, therefore
reform yourselves.
The lamb kneels to reach the teat, the crow re-
turns the food to its dam ;
When men are not equal to brutes, they disgrace
their origin.
The dweller at Leih-sau lamented, and all nature
was moved, (G)
The birds aided him in weeding, and the ele-
phants in ploughing his ground.
Though exalted to the rank of emperor, and rich
in the possession of the four seas.
His filial piety was such as to move Heaven, how
could it he viewed lightly !
Our fathers, they have produced us ; our mothers,
they have nuised iis;
The pains and anxieties endured in bringing us up
ate not be described ;
Renevolence like this reaches to the azure hea-
vens, it is difficult to repay it.
How can we hy all our filial piety fully display
our sincere gratitude!
The man of true filial piety regards his parents
all his life long.
He discovers their wishes when not expressed hy
sounds or gestures.
In obeying your parents you shew your obedience
to God ;
By adding mould to your own roots, you cause
your own plant to flourish :
In disobeying your parents, you shew your dis-
obedience to God ;
By cutting and maiming your owm roots, you
make your own tree to fall.
Bead the ode on the luxuriant southcrn-wood(7)
And expand the feeling of hrotherhood and
sympathy.
(6) There is an allusion here to the great Shun, who
dwelled at I.eih-san, when, not being able to win over his
parents to virtue, he cried and lamented in such a way
as to move all nature.
(7) The ode in question reads as follows —
How exuberant is the southernwood !
Whether the southernwood or wormwood :
Alas my father and mother !
What pains have you gone through in producing me.
The third kind of wrong is killing and maiming
peojile ;
To slay our fellow-men is a crime of the deepest
dye.
All under lieaven are our brethren;
'J'he souls of us all come alike front heaven.
God looks upon all men as his children ;
It is [liteous therefore to behold men destroying
one another.
Hence it was that in former days men delighted
not in murder ;
In virtuous feeling they agreed with Heaven, and
Heaven regarded them.
In cherisliing and tranquillizing the four quarters,
they aided the Supreme;
Therefore they were able to sujierintend the whole,
and enjoyed the protection of Heaven.
Yu, of the Hea dynasty, wept over offenders; and
Wan surrendered the Loh countiy(8);
Hence Heaven accorded, and men reverted to him,
without hesitation.
Those who take delight in killing jieople, are
abandoned robbers ;
How can they' expect to escape misery in the end I
]’ih-ke(!)) and Heang-yu( 1 0), after all their
murders, were themselves slain:
As for 11 w jng-tsaou( 1 1 ) and Le-ehin,( 1 2) where
are they now?
From of old lho.se who have killed others, have
afterwards killed themselves;
Who will say that the eyes of Heaven are not
cqiened wide?
From of old tho.se who have saved others, have
thereby saved themselves ;
-\nd their souls have been taken up to the hea-
venly courts.
From of obi those who have benefited others, have
benefited themselves;
Happiness is of one’s own seeking, and is easily
obtained.
From of old those who have injured others, have
injured themselves;
Misery is of one’s own causing, and is with dif-
ficulty avoided.
Do not say that you will not gratify an enemy,
and reward none hut the virtuous;
Do as you would he done by, and you will always
do right.
Follow that which is faithful and kind.
Cultivate that which is modest and unassuming.
The fourth kind of wrong is robbery and theft ;
That which is contrary to justice and benevolence,
do not practice.
(8) Tliere is an allusion here to \V.an-wang, who gave
up tlie territory of Loh to the tyrant Chow, in order to
induce him to discontinue his cruel punishments.
(y) Pih-ke was a general of the Tsin country (B.C.
230), who after killing 400,000 men, was at length killed
himself.
(10) Heang-yu, after devastating the metropolis of
China, put an end to his own existence (B.C. 200).
(11) llwang-tsaou, in the time of He-tsung (A. I),
874), liaving failed to obtain a degree at.the literary ex-
aminations, rebelled and caused the death of many thou-
sands, but was afterwards slain.
(12) Le-chin, in the latter part of the Ming dynasty
(A. I). 162 8), rebelled, and slew so many that the veiy
heavens were clothed in blackness ; he was, however,
himself slain by the Tartars.
Those who f'oni) cabals and act disorderly, Heaven
will not protect ;
When iniquities are full, misery will surely follow.
A good man, meeting with wealth, does not dis-
orderly grasp it:
Yang-chin, though in the eriod of life and
death ; but we beg leave to ask, do any of the
classics of China contain such a statement ?
Certainly not. Ho any of the sacred books of
foreigners contain such a declaration ? By no
means. If not, whence then did it originate ? It
comes from the self delusions of the perverse dis-
ciples of Buddha and Taou, who coveting wealth
and greedy of gain, delude people in matters of
which they are necessarily ignorant, in order to
jrrofit by the deception ; and induce peo|)le to adopt
religious ceremonies and processions, in order that
they may fatten on the money paid for them.
Moreover, the devil having entered into peo])le’s
minds, they invent innumerable tales and lying
fabrications to deceive and destroy their fellow
men. Thus in the time of the Tsin dynasty(40),
some deceivers falsely asserted that in the eastern
ocean there were three fairy hills; when the em-
jieror sent some people into the sea to search for
them : from this sprang all those inventions re-
garding fairies and genii, so rife in after ages:
into the origin of which, if we do but enquire, we
shall find that they all came from these inventions
of the Tsin dynasty ; verifying the saying, that if
yon err at first but a hair’s breadth, successive
generations, by repeatedly adopting and adding to
the error, and obstinately clinging to it, without
relaxing their grasp, will make the discrepancy to
amount to a thousand miles in width. Thus
also in the time of Kwang-woo, of the Han dy-
nasty(41), some deceivers pretended that if men
would but sacrifice to the kitchen, they could
turn red cinnabar into yellow gold ; Kwang-
woo believed them, and saciificed accordingly : in
consequence of which, from the states of Yen and
Tse(42), a parcel of lying vagabonds came along,
and told a number of stories about genii and hob-
goblins(43). Moreover in later ages, we have had
unprincipled men falsely declaring that the dragon
of the eastern sea can produce rain; whereas this
dragon of the eastern sea is nothing more than a
transformation of the king of Hades: while rain
comes down from heaven, as every body can see.
Mencius said, “ Heaven abundantly collects tbe
clouds, and causes the rain to descend in torrents ;
when the young rice plants suddenly shoot iip.”
(40) B.C. 220. (41)A.D. 25. (42) Slian-tung.
(4 3) History says, that one Le sliaou-keun waited
upon the emperor Kwang-woo, witli recommendations to
sacrifice to the kitchen, in order to put off old age:
to which the emperor acceded. Le-shaou-keun also said,
that if he would sacrifice to the kitchen he could produce
extraordinary things, and change cinnabar to gold • with
this also the emperor complied. After a while l.e-shaou-
keun died; when the emperor thought that he was
transferred to the immortals, and henceforth a number
of deceivers from Yen and Tse came talking about ghosts
and genii.
The Ode of the Chow dyna.sty says, “ High heaven
is all oversiiread with clouds, when it scuds down
snow in abundance, followed by drizzling rain,
which, plentifully irrigating ourfields,and moisten-
ing them sulliciently, causes the various kinds of
grain to be |)roduccd for our use.” On referring to
the Old Testament brought from abroail we find,
that in the days of Noah, the mighty God sent
down a great rain for forty days and forty nights,
on account of the iniquities and rebelliotis of mor-
tals; which rain produced a universal deluge, and
diowned the men ofthe world. Every one of these
stearances. 'J'hus the emperor
Woo, of the northern Chow dynasty, set aside the
religion of Buddha, and demolished improper
sacrifices.(5n) -\t the instigation of Teih-jin-
(56) Tills emperor of the Leang dynasty, tlirice gave
himself up to he a priest in the monastery of Tung-
t’hae, when his ministers had to pay a million of taels
to procure his release, A. D. 540,
(57) This occurred A.T). 810, when llan-wan-kung
sent up a memorial, scouting the idea, and was in con-
sequence sent to the southern part of Canton province.
(58) According to history it ajipcars, that the emperor
Hwuy, A. 11. 1107, greatly favoured the sect of Taou,
and called himself the head of religion and the superin-
tendant of faith : while to God above he ascribed the title
of the pearly emperor (tod.
(5!)) History relates, that previous to the time alluded
to (A. 1). 5 70). there had heen three religious sects tolerated
kwei, the emperor of tlie Tang dynasty burned
u|iwards of 1 ,700 improper temples.(G()) Han-yu
reiiroved the eniiieror for going out to meet a bone
of Buddha.(G 1 ) Hoo-teih, during the Sung dy-
nasty, burned down an innumerable quantity of
improper temjiles ; and Hae-suy, of the Ming
dyna.sty, reprobated the i>erformance of idolatrous
rites : reviewing all these instances, we can scarce-
ly say that there were not some possessed of dis-
cernment. But whilst they destroyed, burnt, or
reiii'obated certain things which they designated
as improper temples. Buddhistic relics, and idola-
trous rites, how is it that they left so many which
they did not destroy, burn and reprobate? how is
it that they did not think, that if the objects
which they destroyed burned or re])robnted, really
deserved to be destroyed, burned and reprobated,
tlien the objects which they did not destroy, birrn,
and re|)robate deserved it just as much ? The fact
is, that besides the great God there is no spirit
(god) — all the images of wood and stone, mud and
jiaper, which have been set up in the world, are
subsequent inventions, and the work of men,
whose otherwise intelligent minds having been
deluded by the devil, and utterly i}erverted, have
been inveigled by the devilish seri)ent, the king of
Hades. AVe now' lay open our whole minds to
you, and jilace before you the following statement.s.
How are mortals to become acquainted with Spirit ?
the great God is the true Spirit. How is it then
that you ))eople go and bow down to a ))arcel of
images, and thus bring the devil upon you ? Of all
those represented by the images which you set up,
the viituous and good must long ago have gone
to heaven ; but the mass consists of nameless
noxious inventions, such as those thought to
preside over the four quarters of the world, with
the satellites and myrmidons of that envious devil-
ish serpent, the king of Hades. From the Tsin
and Han dynasties down to the i)resent day, in-
cluding a space of one or two thousand years, how
many souls of men have been injured and des-
troyed by this king of Hades. The ])roverb says,
as pulse jelly is originally water, so this king of
Hades is originally a devil. AVhy do you not
awake? If you do not awake now, it will soon be
too late. Hear these our sincere words. How-
are you men to become acquainted with God (Te) ?
The great God he is God (Te). The monarchs of
this world may be called kings and that is all:
but they cannot be permitted to assume a single
atom beyond this. Even the saviour Jesus, the
first-horn son of God, is only called our Lord.
In heaven above and earth beneath, as well as
among men, none can be considered greater
in Cliina, of wtiicli the literati were the first, the Bud-
dhists the second, and the Taou-ists the tliird; but the
monarch of Cliow prohibited the two latter, destroying
their books and images, causing their priests to abandon
their professions, and abolishing all sacrifices that were
not jirescribed in the ancient ritual.
(60) During tlie reign of Kaou-tsung, (.\. D. 084)
Teih-jin-kw'ei was lieutenant-governor of Keang-nan,
w'lien lie procured tlie destruction of 1.700 idolatrous
temples; among the rest a temple erected to the honour
of Heang-woo, a former king of Tsoo, was demolished.
(61) The emperor Heen, of the Tang dynasty (.\. D.
810) was about to go out to meet this old bone, when a
member of one of the boards named Han-tni, sent up a
protest, which is preserved to the- jiresent day.
than Jesus; and yet Jesus was not called God
(Te); wlio then is he that dares to assume tlie
designation of God (Te) ? we should soon see him,
for his blasphemous assumptions, bringing down
upon himself the eternal punishment of hell. In-
stead of incurring such a miserable recompence,
let me e.^hort j’ou to worship the great Goel, and
then you will become his sons and daughters ; in
this life you will experience his favour, and after
death your souls will ascend to heaven, to enjoy
endless happiness : how blissful, how glorious
would that be! But if you give yourselves over
to the belief of all kinds of depraved spirits, you
will then become the servants of the devil ; while
you live you will be entangled with his wiles, and
after death you will be seized by him, and suffer
eternal misery in hell ; how shameful and how
miserable would that be! Reflect now, which of
these is to be preferred. Why do you not, our
brethren and sisters throughout the world, awake ?
If you still remain unimpressed, you must be truly
base-born, and deluded by the evil one : having
happiness within your reach and unable to enjoy
it. When there is evidently such a glorious and
delightful state of happiness to be enjoyed for
ever in heaven, for thousands and myriads of
years, you do not wish to enjoy it: but willingly
transgress the commands of Heaven, and join with
the evil one in rebelling against the most High,
until you bring down upon yourselves the righteous
indignation of the great God, who will condemn
you to suffer eternal misery in the lowest hell.
How pitiable ! how lamentable !
W, H. M.
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