Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 512

474

Defense of an Essay, &c.

SEP.

to come to his study every morning. The man came regularly for some ten days, and exhibited great interest. He read over with Mr. Syle all the attributes predicated of Shángtí, which we are accustomed to predicate of God, and appeared to understand thoroughly what he read. It occurred to Mr. S. to inquire one morning whether he fol- lowed the advice he had given him at the commencement of their inquiries, to pray to Shángtí every morning and evening. The man replied with great simplicity, that he had not failed to visit his temple twice a day for this purpose. This answer led to inquiry, and Mr. S., to his inexpressible grief, learned that the man had been understand- ing him for ten days as recommending the worship of this idol.

Thus it will be seen that it will not answer to say,

in England and Anierica have said, no matter what name is used, if only under this name you take care to describe the true God by his at- tributes; for the Divine attributes were set forth at some length in this Catechism, much stress being laid on Shangtí's having no form or image, and on his being a pure spirit; and yet the title Shángtí was so perfectly identified with this false god Yuh-hwáng, in this man's mind, that as soon as he was told to pray to Shángti, he, not- withstanding all he had read in the Catechism, went immediately to this filthy idol. The reader will not be surprised to learn that we immediately, in our mission, ceased to teach and to preach Shangtí.

as many

The circumstance led me to make extensive inquiries of the Chinese with whom I have come in contact, whether in town or country, as to what they understood by the phrase Shingtí; and the conclusion to which I have been led is this: the phrase Shangti, when used alone, without any adjunct or qualifying word to limit or explain it, although it is used by different parties to designate several different beings, does yet, like the phrase "the Queen" in the illustration given above, designate a definite individual, and is never used as the appella- tion of these individuals regarded as a class, so as to designate any one of them indifferently. If the individual of whom I inquired was a literary man, he understood by the phrase "the being" so called in the classics. If he was a Rationalist, or one addicted to the worship of this sect, he understood by it "the being" represented by the idol above mentioned, Yuh-hwáng. A third party understand by this phrase, Heaven and Earth, the universal father and mother; a very common object of worship at weddings, &c., though not commonly worshiped under the title Shangtí, but under the name Tinti. That by the Heaven and Earth thus worshiped, the vulgar understand the material heaven and earth, I think, there can be no doubt.

I have