THE following delightful little story, which we have just received, will interest our readers, and will, we trust, call forth many prayers, not only for Mr. Taylor, the writer, but also for Jang-ta-ie, the faithful Chinese.
“Pa-cheo, Sï-chaun, China,
“Thursday, March 23rd 1893.
“(Chinese) 2nd Moon, 6th day.
“Today has been a very joyful one with us in this city, we having witnessed the destruction of four idols and four ancestral tablets. This is the result of the working of God the Holy Spirit in the heart of a dear old man named ‘Jang-ta-ie’ (that is Jang, old gentleman), a person of independent means, who lives about twenty minutes’ walk outside this city in the country over the river.
“This old man has been corning to our services every Sunday for months, and twice a week―on Tuesday and Thursday―he has come for further teaching. He made rapid progress in the things of God, and we all felt that God would soon lead him to the point of putting his idols away forever from his own sight and God’s.
“We have been led out in prayer specially for him, that God would bring this conviction home to him; and not in vain.
“Just lately I have started a mid-weekly service, on Wednesday afternoons, over the river, holding the meetings in the houses and compounds of any who would give permission.
“Our second meeting, last Wednesday week, was held in Jang-ta-ie’s house, when a great many people came to hear. After I had preached, I called on the old man himself to speak, and he did so, telling the friends he had learned to know the true God; that he believed in and trusted Him and His Son Jesus Christ; and, pointing to his idols, said these were all false, and not to be trusted, that he did not worship them now. I looked at them as he pointed, and wondered how it was the old man could say all this, and still keep them.
“The next day he came to me saying his heart was not at peace, that he knew his idols were offensive in God’s sight, and that he had quite decided to bring them over to us and burn them. I told the old man to please himself as to where he would destroy them, but thanked God with him that he had thus decided. I then got my teacher to write the creed in large characters, to put up in the place of the idols, and these two texts: God said, I am God, and beside Me there is no God’ (Isa. 45:55I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: (Isaiah 45:5)); and ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:1515And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15).)
“On Wednesday morning last, as I was standing in the compound, Sien-ta-ko, one of our Christian men, carne in carrying a peilan-tsï (a basket) at his back, and inside were the following idols: ―
“1. Kuang-in p’u-sa-the principal god.
“2. Joh-p’u-sa — god of medicine. This old man had been a doctor, and also a veterinary surgeon.
“3. Niu-uang-god of cows.
“4. Ma-uang-god of horses.
“There were also four ancestral tablets that had been worshipped by the family generation after generation.
“I told Jang-ta-ie that we would have a special service on the morrow, when I would ask him to testify why it was he was destroying all these things. He was delighted at the idea.
“The Christians and enquirers came together, about sixty in number. The meeting was opened with the hymn, ‘Happiness is what men seek,’ which was followed by prayer. I then addressed them from Ex. 31:1818And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18) to 32:26, on the sin of Israel in worshipping the golden calf; stated what Moses did with the idol, and mentioned the judgment on and repentance of the people; and then told the audience what we were going to do after the service.
“Two of the Christians then led us in prayer, and we all went into the yard at the back of the house, when Jang-ta-ie himself set the idols on fire. They burnt up well.
I asked him to give his testimony, which he fearlessly did.
“He said, that ‘for generations he and his family had been deceived by the devil, but that God had set him free; that he was now forsaking that which was false to obey that which is true; that he did not fear man, death, nor Satan, but that he was from today going forward to preach the gospel.’ This he verily did, by going into the streets and tea-shops afterward, and preaching Christ. His words were not many, but full of meaning.
“We then sang ‘Oh, happy day!’ All joined in heartily; and, by the time the hymn was ended, the fire was well-nigh out.
“I exhorted those present who had idols still to do the same with them. Then we scattered, the old gentleman and his wife staying with us to dinner. I may say his wife is quite one with him in the destruction of the idols, but she is timid.
“On the first of this Chinese month she broke her vegetarian vow, confessing that there is merit in Jesus only. She had been a vegetarian for a number of years. The son and daughter were not so pleased, but we are praying for them; and the daughter is relenting, promising to come to the T’ang to see and hear more.
“Please pray for this family, and rejoice with us for this victory of Christ. A great many are corning to hear what these strange doings mean; we have between thirty and forty enquirers. W. C. T.”