481.

36.

517.

STATISTICS OF THE NINGPO PRESBYTERY OF THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FOR 1876.

120.

THE PHOENIX HILL.

Here while the winter sun in brightness bathes
The mighty city stretching far below;

Let fancy 'wake, and let the dead past live:
For here perchance the last Sung monarch stood,
And saw the matchless landscape round him glow.
Here in this half-choked pool in happier days
The gold-fish glittered to the courtiers' gaze.
Here from the hill top as the evening fell,
The lights were dancing o'er the merry lake,
And shouts of revellers all the echoes wake.
And hence the monarch first with pallid cheek,
Saw in the northern sky the war-cloud loom;
He hears fierce Bayan knocking at the gate,
Speeds down the slope, and in the waiting ships,
Flies but to southern climes to meet his doom.

Six hundred years with sun and storm since then
Have swept the stedfast summit of this hill,
The palace long has crumbled to the dust;
The ancient bounding walls are followed still,
But by the heaving gradients of the turf.
Still the great river with its shifting sands
Winds in broad reaches to the glimmering sea;
Or shudders backwards as the tidal wave
Rolls inland roaring loud with crested glee.
The mirrored islands loom still through the haze,
The southern mountains ridge on ridge recede,

With fainter blue into the far off sky.

Soon spring will set the pleasant slope ablaze,
And song of birds as in old summers wake;
Still smiles along the wall the azure lake.
But fancy cannot raise the long-gone dead,
Nor bring again the joyous stir of days long fled.

Hearken in the great city from the skies,

A voice begins to sound in gentle tones;
The joyful tidings of eternal life.

Faint now, and often smothered by the roar
Of pleasure, ridicule, or bustling trade,
So still, in every land, the scoffers think it dead;
But while earth's glories die to rise no more,
This from the very grave to life shall bound,
Fresher and more enduring than the skies,
Or everlasting hills, or spring's new flowers.
Nor like these ancient buried dynasties,
Shall age decay the bloom or hush the sound.
The still small voice shall swell to trumpet's call;
The clarion blast shall as the thunder roll;
The glorious echoes wider than the seas
Shall cover all the earth from pole to pole,
And with time's latest tide shall pass at length,
Back to the music home from which they came,
And blend into the song of Moses and the Lamb.
A. E. M

HANGCHOW, January 18th, 1877.

DEAR SIR:

Correspondence.

What would Daniel do?

Your correspondent JEW seems to think that the prophet Daniel, if now living in China, would approve the use of Shang-ti for "God." Yet his language-for whatever reason-is not without qualification; for he says "seems to favor," and also "some such a term," and again "Shang-ti in itself considered."

Since Daniel was as he affirms, "in circumstances much like our own," let us suppose this prophet of the Lord to be the prime minister of the emperor of China, first in authority at Peking, and inquire how in such circumstances he would be likely to act.

* Including native and foreign members.

He would find his imperial master at appointed times and in accordance with laws laid down with the greatest precision in the state regulations, either in person or by deputies, worshipping Heaven or Shang-ti (Hwong-tien Shang-ti), the Earth, the sun, the moon, seven stars of Ursa Major, the five planets, the twenty-eight constellations, all the stars of heaven, the clouds, the winds, the rain, the thunder, the five Yueh, and three lesser mountains, the five Chên, and two other mountains; the four seas, the four rivers, his ancestors of the present dynasty near and remote, with the empresses of the first, second, third and fourth grade, the god of the soil, the god of the various kinds of grain, Keu-kung, Heu-tsih,* Shên-nung, the god of the year, the god of the first month, of the second month, and so onward of each month in the year, the emperors of all the preceding dynasties, beginning with the San Hwong and Wu Ti, and going on with each of the seventeen dynasties, the sage Confucius, the four lesser sages, Yien-tsz, Tsz-sz-tsz Tsêng-tsz, Mêng-tsz, the twelve wise men, the worthies and eminent scholars of all past times, the ancestors of Confucius for five generations, eleven of the most distinguished characters of antiquity, some of whom are now regarded as fabulous, others are known as renowned emperors or statesmen, and all of them are regarded as models of virtue, the wise and good, and the faithful magistrates of all past dynasties, the god Kwan-ti and his ancestors, all the gods in the Huo-shên miau, the Sung-yueh miau, the Hienyeu kung, the Tu Ch'êng-hwong miau, the Dragon gods in three temples, also the gods in many other temples not here specified.

In this system of national religion, he would find the worship of Heaven and Earth, as it occupies the first place in the ritual, so also to take the precedence of all other worship in point of fact. He would find the altar to Heaven to be the most imposing place of worship in Peking; and the altar to Earth only second in magnificence to the altar to Heaven; the one in the southern suburb of the city, as belonging to the Yang principle, the other in the northern suburb, as belonging to the Yin; the one for the same reason of light color, being built of white marble, the other of dark color, being built of granite; the one regarded as facing the south, which is Yang, the other as facing the north, which is Yin; so that the worshipper on the one faces the north, while the worshipper on the other faces the south; the one round, to represent the shape of heaven, the other square, to represent the shape of the earth. He would find his imperial master at the winter solstice worshipping at the altar to Heaven, at the summer solstice worshipping at the altar to Earth. In the worship at the altar to Heaven, he would find a tablet to Imperialt Heaven Shang-ti, placed in a * For the supernatural birth of Heu-tsih, the progenitor of the Cheu dynasty, from Shang-ti and Kiang-yuen, B. c. 2350, see the Book of Odes, in loco; also the translation in Morrison's Dictionary, part, 1st, p. 495.

+ The characters FL Hwang-teen Shang-ti and XL Haou-teen Shang-ti are alike used in the worship at the altar to Heaven, and apparently without distinction. The last two are in apposition with the first two, Shang-ti is "Heaven." The writer in travelling some years since in the vicinity of Shên-cheu, fell in with a very large image of Haou-t'een Shang-ti. A friend of his travelling in Shantung, had a similar experience, both with regard to Haou-t' een Shang-ti and to Hwang-teen Shang-ti.

shrine or tent made of yellow satin, on the north side of the altar; and in the worship at the altar to Earth, a tablet to the goddess* Imperial Earth in like manner placed in a shrine on the south side of the altar. He would find the tablets to the ancestors of his imperial master, placed each in its own shrine on the altar to Heaven, on the east and west sides of the altar, as equal in rank and associated with Shang-ti in receiving worship (pei-wei); in like manner the tablets to his ancestors placed each in its own shrine on the altar to Earth, in the same relative position to the tablet to Earth as on the altar to Heaven, to the tablet to Shang-ti or Heaven; and as equal in rank and associated with Earth in receiving worship. He would find on the altar to Heaven, in a secondary position, the tablet to the sun on the right side, to the moon on the left side, tablets to the seven stars of Ursa major, to the five planets, to the twenty-eight constellations, and to all the stars of heaven, placed in one shrine on the east side, and tablets to the clouds, to the wind, to the rain, and to the thunder, placed in one shrine on the west. At the altar to Earth, he would find in like manner, placed in a secondary position, tablets to the five Yueh, and to three other celebrated mountains, placed in one shrine on the east of the altar; and tablets to the five Chên, and to two other celebrated mountains, placed in one shrine on the west; tablets to the four seas on the east, and to the four great rivers on the west.

The tablets being thus arranged, he would find his imperial master at the winter solstice offering his sacrifices to Heaven or Shang-ti; and also, as associated with Shang-ti in this honor, to his ancestors (the pei-wei), and to the powers of heaven above specified (the tsung-wei). During this sacrifice he kneels on different occasions, nine times before the tablet to Shang-ti, and nine times before the tablets to his ancestors; also before the tablet to Shang-ti, this being the principal object of worship at this sacrifice, he performs the "three kneelings and nine prostrations" three times.† At the summer solstice, he would find his imperial master in like manner offering his sacrifices to the goddess Imperial Earth, and also, as associated with earth in this honor, to his ancestors (the p'ei-wei), and to the mountains, rivers and seas, as above specified (the tsung-wei). During this sacrifice he kneels on nine different occasions; nine times before the tablet to the Earth, and nine times before the tablets to his ancestors; also before the tablet to earth, which is the principal object of worship at this sacrifice, he performs the "three kneelings and nine prostrations" three times.

He would find his imperial master offering in sacrifice to Heaven or Shang-ti, on the altar to Heaven, a libation of wine, jade and silk, a young bullock, twenty-eight kinds of viands, consisting of fish, flesh, fruits and cereals; offering also to his ancestors, at the same place and

*

Hwang-te-ke. In this case I translate Ke "goddess," because the words Foo teen moo t'e, "Father Heaven, Mother Earth" are in the mouth of every Chinese, be he learned or ignorant; and because the worship of Heaven and Earth is universal in China, so that not a wedding takes place without it.

In the T'ai miau also, the "three kneelings and nine prostrations" are thrice repeated by the emperor in sacrificing to his ancestors, and repeated in the same way three times at the Shé-tsi t'an, in sacrificing to the gods of the soil, and of grain.

time, the same offerings, including the bullock, omitting only the jade; and similar offerings, somewhat inferior in dignity, to the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the winds, the rain, and the thunder.

In like manner he would find him offering to the Earth on the altar to Earth, the libation of wine, the silk, the young bullock, the twenty-eight kinds of viands; offering also the same offerings to his ancestors, at the same place and time, the offerings in either case being. the same as those offered to Heaven, excepting only the jade; and offering besides these, similar offerings, somewhat inferior in dignity, to the secondary tablets, those to the monntains, seas, and rivers.

Besides these offerings to the sun, moon, stars, winds, clouds, rain and thunder, in connection with the offerings to Shang-ti on the altar to Heaven, and the offerings to the mountains, seas, and rivers, in connection with the offerings to the Earth on the altar to Earth, he would find a separate altar to the sun on the east side of the city, where with appropriate sacrifices the emperor worships the sun, performing the "three kneelings and nine prostrations;" and an altar to the moon on the west side of the city, where also tablets to Ursa major, to the five planets, to the twenty-eight constellations, and to all the stars of heaven, are associated as p'ei-wei, with the tablet to the moon, in receiving the sacrifices and worship of the emperor. He would find in the southern suburb of the city, on the opposite side of the street from the altar to Heaven, an altar to the divine husbandman,* and an altar to the god of the year, where with appropriate sacrifices and "the three kneelings and nine prostrations," these gods are worshipped by the emperor. He would find also in the same enclosure, very near to each other, two altars of similar appearance and size, one to the thien-shen "gods of heaven," i. e. the gods of the clouds, of the wind, of the rain, and the thunder, to which altar the emperor sometimes goes in person-at other times by his deputies-to pray and offer sacrifices for rain; the other to the ti-k'i "gods of the earth," i. e. the gods of the five yuch, of the five ling, of the five chen, of the four seas, of the four rivers, of the celebrated mountains in the region of the capital, of the celebrated rivers in the region of the capital; of the celebrated mountains of the whole empire, and of the celebrated rivers of the whole empire, to which altar the emperor deputes a high official to offer sacrifice and pray for rain.† He would find in the same enclosure a temple or altar to the god of the year, where the emperor in person offers sacrifice, performing the "three kneelings and nine prostrations" twice, and "two kneelings and six prostrations" once.

He would find his imperial master during the past winter and spring, to have prayed and offered sacrifices for snow and rain seventeen times, going himself in person thirteen times to the Ta-kau tien, where Yüh-hwang Shang-ti is worshipped, and deputing others to go

* For the birth of

B. C. 2737, see

Shin-nung from

Neu-tăng and

Shin-lung,

San hwang pun ke. He is said to have had the head

of an ox, and the body of a man. These two altars, the Tien-shin t'an, and the Ti-ki tan, are not to be confounded with the T'ien t'an and the Ti t'an. Aside from the yearly sacrifice yu, it does not appear that prayer for rain is offered at the altar to Heaven; on the other hand, it is very common to pray for rain at these two altars.

four times; going to the Shi-ying kung, or "temple of the dragon god," or god of the rain twice; and deputing others to go fifteen times; to the Chau-hien miau, or "temple of the god of thunder" twice, and deputing others to go fifteen times; to the Suen-jên miau, or "temple of the god of the winds" twice, and deputing others to go fifteen times; to the Ning-ho tien, or "temple of the god of the clouds" twice, and deputing others to go fifteen times; deputing others to go to the Kiohsheng si, thirteen times; to the altar of the gods of heaven, the altar of the gods of earth, and the altar of the god of the year, each five times; twice to the altar of the gods of the soil and of the grain; thirteen times each to the altar of the black dragon, and to the altar of the white dragon; three times to the temple of Kwan-ti; three times to the temple of the city god; to the temples of the dragon god in two localities, each thirteen times.

The prophet Daniel would find this to be the actual state of the religion of his imperial master, which has come down in all its essential features from the highest antiquity, which pervades and is imbedded in the Chinese classics, and which is drawn out in the "Statutes of this dynasty" with a minuteness of detail as to time, place, rites, ceremonies, sacrificial vessels, sacrificial victims, and offerers of sacrifices, exceeding that of the law of Moses; which is also for substance the religion of the Chinese people; with whom, as with the emperor, the worship of Heaven and Earth stands at the head of all-a worship seen in its most perfect form in the worship of Imperial Heaven or Shang-ti* on the altar to Heaven, and the worship of the goddess Imperial Earth on the altar to Earth, as above described.

By our supposition, the prophet Daniel, who in childhood was steeped in the precepts of the law of Moses, so that he "would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat"-who prayed three times daily with his face toward Jerusalem-who compelled the heathen monarch of his time to say, 66 Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings;" and also to make a decree "that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;"-this prophet is to be placed in the midst of these temples and altars-these heathen rites and ceremonies in the city of Peking.

Would Daniel in these circumstances identify, or do anything which might lead the heathen to suppose that he identified the God he worshiped-Jehovah-with Shang-ti or Heaven, the first and chief of the objects of worship of his imperial master? Would he ask his opinion in regard to the identity of the two, as the Jesuits in 1699 asked the opinion of Kang-hi, referring to it subsequently as authoritative? Would he not rather as a true Israelite refer to the law of Moses, and to the writings of the prophets, recalling such passages as the following, "I am Jehovah thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me," "the LORD (Jehovah) made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is," "thou shalt worship no other God: for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:" Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God." "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the Ho Theos did not stand at the head of a state and national religion, had no altar, no rites of sacrifice, no historical associations such as belong to Shang-ts.