Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 642

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Defense of an Essay, &c.

Nov.

men was to make God's holy book " contemptible" in the eyes of the Chinese, and to bring upon themselves and their work the ridicule of this heathen nation? Are Dr. Medhurst and those who sigued this paper with him, the only missionaries now in China who are favored with the intercourse of well-informed Chinese? Dr. Medhurst, from his whole course seems determinded either to destroy Shin, or his own reputation for accuracy. Shin, I am persuaded, is beyond his reach.

I will not dwell longer on this unpleasant subject; but we surely could not have more direct proof that Shin may be used for God, with- out giving offense to “well-informed Chinese,” than that furnished in the quotations above given from the geographical work, unless the intelligence of this high dignitary is to be impeached.*

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There is another consideration which proves conclusively to my mind that the shin are, in the estimation of the Chinese, gods, not spirits. It is that they call their idols by this name. The Chinese are, like the Athenians, wholly given to idolatry." To their idols they have built thousands of temples: every street, every house, even their boats are full of them: so that Dr. Medhurst, in his work on this country, tells us, "that it was more easy to find a god than a man in China." These idols, whether done in stone or wood, or drawn on paper, are called by the people shin. Of this fact any one, who can speak the language, may satisfy himself by going into their temples and inquiring of the bystanders where the Shin thereof, e.g. of Fire,

My object in quoting from this writer is not to produce the impression upon the mind of the reader, that according to his opinion the words Elohim and ɛng should, in our translation of the S. S., be rendered by Shin, or Tien Shin, for I suppose the writer has never thought of the subject; but only to show that he does not hesitate to call the Being who gave the Law on Mount Sinai, the Shin of Heaven, and to call our blessed Savior "the only Shin worshiped by Christians. This author calls the Being worshiped by Christiana, Tien 天, Sháng Tien 上天. Sháng TE上帝, Tien Chú天 主,Tien Shin 天神,and

and Shin. Thus his authority may be

quoted for rendering this word, when used propriè, by any of these phrases ; but it should be observed he does not call the Sun worshiped by the Parsees, the trees, beasts, and birds worshiped by the people of Africa, or the Jupiter of the Greeks Tien or Shangth, but Shin. If then we would choose a word that can be employed to render Elohim and Oɛog, both when used propriè and impropriè, and will be guided by this author, we must use Shin; for it was Shin who give the law at Mount Sinai; it is Jesus who is the alone Shin worshiped by Christians; and the objects worshiped by Greeks, Parsees, and Africans are Shin and not Shangtí.-For an interesting account of some old temples that were built in the Xth century to the God of Heaven, see pendix B.

Ap.

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