The American Missionary — Volume 44, No. 01, January, 1890Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 44, No. 01, January, 1890
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
I will tell you of another trial which I encountered. I live inside the
wall, and all the people inside are divided into six societies. I belong
to No. 4. Once in three years we have what we call _festival_. So a man
who had charge asked me to sign my name to give twenty-five cents to buy
some pork and other things for offerings to the idols. The temples have
some property, but they use the temple money for other expenses. I
refuse to subscribe. So he advised me and said: "While you are in the
foreign country, imitate foreign customs, but now you are in China, you
have to obey Chinese customs." They try to compel me to give. I stand up
and say: "If these six societies could not have this festival to the
idols because I refuse, do the people depend on me? If so, then all the
people are without hope, and may despair of the blessing of the idols.
Is that what you believe? Because you worship the idols you give
offerings to them, and expect blessing from them. I do not worship the
idol, and he would not give me the blessing. I do not wish for the
idol's blessing. It is not because I am stingy that I will not give to
the offering of the idol, but because it is against the true God in
heaven, whom I trust, and whose blessing I do greatly desire." So they
could not compel me to give, and they let me alone, but they felt very
much indignation and were hostile to me. A Christian in China has
sometimes a very hard time. "But what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ." Yet more and more are believing the Gospel of
Christ every year in China.
A year has passed since, this brother returned to America; but is there
any hazard in affirming that those towns-people of his in China have
thought more or less, even to this day, of the stand he took and the God
in Christ to whom he testified?
* * * * *
BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK.
MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY.
MASS MEETING OF THE WOMAN'S HOME MISSIONARY UNIONS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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