330 THE REV. STEPHEN HISLOP. but the native Christians fought a battle with the 66 On Faithful among the faithless, faithful only he," had come to the mission-house under the thick veil of night, and warned Mr. Hislop of the approaching catastrophe. The latter privately had passed on the intelligence to the chief civil authority; but neither was It had been aware when the fatal time was to be. fixed for midnight on the Saturday following. that evening Mr. Hislop was in Kamptee, ten miles from home, where he had to preach next day. Mrs. Hislop and the three children already mentioned were in the mission-house, and had retired to rest on the eventful evening, never suspecting danger to be near. It now wanted but an hour of midnight; Mohammedan assassins had been posted in front of each European house; the cavalry regiment that was to lead in the work of treachery and bloodshed had quietly turned out, and was preparing for the nefarious enterprise, when, through the faithfulness of a low-caste sepoy from Southern India, the alarm was given, and the sanguinary plot rendered abortive, after the assassins had thought their success was sure. Any notice of Mr. Hislop's life would be imperfect, if nothing were said regarding the deceased missionary's love of nature, and the important results to which it led. Most close students are near-sighted, and have lost much physically if they have made great mental gain. It was not so with the subject of our memoir; he had piercing eye-sight, admirably adapted to serve his purpose, if he sought proficiency in the sciences of observation. Suppose an evangelist has to preach at two villages six miles apart, and that the road between the two is so bad that it is positively easier to walk than to be jolted hither and thither in a conveyance, there are three modes in which he may pass over the intermediate ground. He may trudge along, with manifold exclamations against the state of the roads, out of temper with himself and with the world in general; or he may sink into a reverie, and go forward, scarcely knowing he is in motion, till the village whither he is travelling appears; or finally, he may convert the journey into a mental feast by keenly surveying all the The third works of God presented to his view. method was that adopted by the subject of the present sketch, and, to our thinking, it was far more glorifying Sometimes zoological to the great Creator than the first or even the second method would have been. observations were made. A little group of antelopes, for example, would start up in front of the missionary party, and bound away, with enormous leaps, over the low shrubs of some uncultivated plain; or perhaps birds would rise from the unexplored bed of a great tropical river, and, scattering abroad over the whole Sometimes the observations were face of the heavens, descend in small parties on the fields of grain. botanical attention would be given to the various trees that made up the tangled vegetation of the Indian jungles traversed. Most frequently of all, however, the researches were geological, Mr. Hislop having a special attachment to that fascinating department of study. It was remarkable what light discoveries made by the missionary party and various other observers-some now gone to their account, and some still in lifecould throw on epochs of the earth's history long, There was one scene, long since passed away. which it was possible to reconstruct, which gave an idea of the aspect presented by the Nagpore country during the earlier part of the secondary, or mediæval period of geology. At that time part of Central India was overspread by a sheet of water, apparently a lake rather than the ocean; within it there gambolled fishes, all encased in an armour of enamelled scales; while on its shores huge frog-like reptiles walked, much akin to those which have left footprints on the red sandstone rocks of Scotland, of England, and of the continent of Europe. There was proof that, at that olden period, an insect of the cockroach family, and doubtless many other flying creatures, disported themselves in the sunbeam. Two scenes of an equally remarkable character could be restored from the records of a more recent time. At the dawn of what the geologists call the tertiary period, there ran across India a series of lakes like those on the St. Lawrence river in America, and very probably not inferior in size to Lake Superior, Erie, or Ontario. Palm-trees grew on the margin of the lakes; while there were either there or in the shallow water plants not unlike the cuckoo-pints of this country, but with their seeds beautifully arranged in circles of six, and, unless observation were at fault, covered with a purple pulp, which had left stains upon the stone. Fishes, more like those of modern times, swam in this new series of lakes. Land and fresh-water shells were scattered in abundance along their margins; insects sported above the waters, and reptiles of a higher grade than At a yet more recent time fierce the giant frogs of the older period found their home upon the land. volcanic outbursts from beneath broke up the embankments of the lakes, and allowed their waters to escape to the mighty main. On and on rolled the molten lava flood, till it had covered 200,000 square miles of territory, or nearly twice the area of Britain-perhaps the greatest volcanic outburst known to have occurred in all geologic time. The discoveries of the senior Nagpore missionary made his name known in scientific circles in London, and even on the continent of a subEurope. "A mineral from Nagpore, new to science, was called after him, Hislopite; and Hislopi, stantive, and Hislopianus, an adjective, are terms not unknown to the students of Indian geology." Had the missionary made science the work, instead of the relaxation of his life, he could have achieved the most splendid reputation; but though valuing highly the study of the works of God, he still felt that there was THE REV. STEPHEN HISLOP. a question-and one, too, of infinite moment-to which nature could furnish no reply, the inquiry, How can a sinner find acceptance with the infinitely holy and infinitely righteous God? To discover how he could obtain salvation from sin and from woe, the missionary felt he must turn to the Bible, and having attained to the good hope that his sins had been washed away in Jesus' blood, he determined, with all the unchanging resolution for which he was so remarkable, that, with the help of God, he would give science only the second place in his affections, and spend his life in making known among the heathen "the unsearchable riches of Christ." But we must hasten on to the closing scenes of his life, in narrating which we shall not be careful to vary the language we have employed in another place. In December, 1847, as Mr. Hislop, with his colleague, was passing the village of Takulghat, about twenty miles south of Nagpore, he observed a circle of large unhewn stones. Further examination revealed that there were no fewer than ninety such circles—some single, others double-all close together, and spreading over an area of about four square miles. Permission was subsequently sought and obtained from the late Rajah of Nagpore to make excavations among the circles; and in the centre of one of them, at the depth of three feet from the surface, was found an iron vessel like a frying pan, with a handle on either side, which had rusted off, and was now lying detached. The bottom of the vessel was covered with little pieces of earthenware, neatly fitted to cach other, possibly designed to protect human ashes, of which, however, there were only doubtful traces beneath. The hostility of one of the petty native officials at Takulghat prevented the excavations from being as complete as had been intended, and it was all along felt that they should be resumed when a favourable opportunity presented itself. In the fall of last year, Mr. Temple, the chief commissioner at Nagpore, who had succeeded to the authority of the deceased rajah, was encamped three or four miles from Takulghat, and feeling that the time had come for paying renewed attention to the stone circles, he wrote, requesting Mr. Hislop to join him, and superintend a new series of excavations. The missionary in consequence set off for Takulghat on the 3rd of September, and aided Mr. Temple during that day and the next. As the night of the 4th approached, Mr. Temple left first for his camp, and Mr. Hislop was to follow when he had gathered up the trophies obtained, and brought to a close a piece of missionary work he was engaged with, the examination of a school in Takulghat village. It was the depth of the monsoon or wet season, and though no rain had fallen at the village now named, it must have done so very heavily in the vicinity. In consequence, Mr. Temple on reaching the backwater of a river which had been quite shallow in the morning, found it ten feet deep. He left behind him a native to warn Mr. Hislop of his danger, and conduct him to a ford some distance higher up the stream. When night fell the native left his post, and went back nominally to meet the missionary, but in all likelihood to avoid being himself alone in the dark. Two horsemen left at Takulghat to go with Mr. Hislop were also missing when the hour of deparHe had attendants of his own, preceded by a torch-bearer; but when about half a mile from the fatal spot, he cantered on in advance of them, and was immersed before he suspected danger was near. There were indications to show that he must have been ture came. 331 thrown from his horse, as the animal was plunging in the water. Alone, and under the cloud of night, he struggled hard with his destiny; but all his efforts were unavailing to avert the fatal result. When, some time afterwards, his horse appeared in Mr. Temple's camp without a rider, alarm was excited, and parties having been sent out to scour the jungle, the body of the missing missionary was found in comparatively. shallow water, still holding, with a death grasp, handfuls of grass, showing that he had succeeded at one period in reaching the bank, but had been too feeble to raise himself from the water. He was but forty-six when he died: but he had compressed into his comparatively brief span of life the labours of a much longer term of years. "His eye was not dim, or his natural force abated," but his work on earth was over, and through the instrumentality of that nameless backwater on an Indian river, itself unknown to fame, the voice of the Redeemer was heard summoning his faithful servant to rest. Mr. Hislop left behind him a widow, a son of seventeen, and three daughters of more tender age; for these about two thousand pounds was subscribed by friends in India, and upwards of one thousand pounds at home. Readers, have you given yourselves to Jesus? or is that higher existence, which alone is worthy of being designated life, in your case not yet begun? If you are in Christ, what have been your achievements for him? These are solemn questions, for as it was in Mr. Hislop's case, so may it be in yours, in the midst of life you may find yourselves in death, and at such an hour as you think not, the Son of man may come. * MISSIONARY SCENES AND ADVENTURES IN CHINA. VIII. HOW SOME KNOWLEDGE OF GOD WAS PRESERVED. and THESE views of God and of providence prevailed from at least B.C. 2200 to B.C. 500,-certainly for 1800 years, and remain acknowledged in form to the present day. One is apt to wonder how they survived so long in China. There are three things which may be assigned as accounting for it in some measure. First, there is the clear, full, and earnest manner in which they were enunciated by their ancient princes and sages; second, the veneration inculcated for their early writings, which had so great influence that they were regarded as sacred, and even at this day the maxims of the five classics are esteemed unquestionable. Ancient lore is everywhere appealed to as authoritative on every question. But the third conservative element was the "Tribunal of Rites." This tribunal was supreme, and its office was threefold-to instruct the people, to examine all foreign religions which might make their way into the country or any superstition that might arise in their midst, and to condemn all doctrines or views which were not in accordance with their ancient faith. Doubtless this tended powerfully to preserve the purity and simplicity of their ritual and prevent idolatry acquiring ascendancy among them. But we daro In the "Geologist" for 1863 (p. 428), there appeared an obituary notice of Mr. Hislop from the pen of Professor Rupert Jones, paying a high tribute both to his personal character and his varied attainments. This memoir gives references to the various scientific journals containing accounts of his geological discoveries and researches. These researches were of great importance both in their scientific bearings, and as leading to development of the mineral wealth of the Indian empire. 332 MISSIONARY SCENES AND ADVENTURES IN CHINA. not forget that every good thing cometh from God, and to him we ascribe thanks for his former kindness to this people, and pray that he may again remember his loving kindness which was of old. IX. CEREMONIES IN HONOUR OF SHING-NONG. One morning in spring while the air was still crispy, we went to witness the ceremonies performed at the ushering in of spring in honour of Shing-Nong, now exalted to the position of the god of agriculture. When we reached the spot, the preparations had just been completed, and the mandarins were arriving one by one. The temple was a small one; and there were no images in it; but only a tablet in honour of the god. The In front scene presented was then novel to us. of the temple stood a pillar to which a square piece of paper was affixed. On this was written a long prayer to Shing Nong, imploring his care over the husbandmen On the right and blessing on the seeds of the earth. and left of the gate of the temple were two large lanterns hanging, in which candles were burning, and between them was a huge vase full of smoking incense. On entering, were tables on which were various kinds of food-mutton, rice, beans, wheat, cotton seeds, tea, wine, etc. At the further end of the building stood the tablet of the ancient emperor, and on his right hand and left were a pig and a goat skinned, and laid out on wooden frames. When a mandarin arrived the others all, with great formality, rose up and saluted him; but this was the sum of their politeness: for the rest of their conduct did not impress us powerfully with a sense One blew his nose of the delicacy of their manners. with his fingers, others spat on the ground, and the whole proceedings were in keeping with this. They smoked incessantly, and sat lazily, their servants filling their pipes as they were emptied, and putting them in their mouths. After a long hour the mayor came. Those present formed two lines; and bowed profoundly Then the cereas he passed through their midst. mony began. The mayor and the military mandarin took their places right in front of the pillar to which the prayer was affixed; the other mandarins stationed themselves under a pavilion erected for the purpose before the temple, on the floor of which were fine There was a master of cushions for them to kneel on. ceremonies who cried out, Kneel, worship, rise, and so on, in reference to all the gestures they were to perform. Consequently they all manoeuvred simultaneously, and there was an order in their movements altogether unusual to our previous experience of the Chinese. They all bowed thrice, prostrated themselves nine times on the After the ground before the piece of written paper. mayor had worshipped sometime before this, he went at the call of the master of ceremonies, and knelt before the tablet in the temple. Two servants then placed themselves at each side of the kneeling lord, and one gave him the wine, tea, and other things to taste, after which he handed them to the man on the right hand, who replaced them. After a sufficient number of prostrations he rose up and took his former position before the written paper. A servant then read the prayer which was written on the paper in as musical a voice-poor fellow!—as he could command. After this the mandarin again worshipped, and then this piece of paper was detached and with great circumspection placed in a flat iron pot. A quantity of paper money was placed along with it, and then followed a scene which pained us to the very heart. A match was struck and the written paper prayer and paper money were all con sumed. What was the meaning of this? do my readers The last ashes of their petition and their money X. CONFUCIUS AND HIS SYSTEM. Man's soul cleaveth to the dust. Notwithstanding all the knowledge of God set forth in their ancient records, and the efforts of their great Tribunal of Rites, the Chinese gradually, though very slowly, became inAnd this is not surprising, different to the claims of the SUPREME, and sank into a system of cold formality. for they had no prophets rising early to teach them, and no communication with that favoured nation which was privileged with Divine guidance and strength. This indifference to religion would appear to have continued deepening, and so at once permitted and disposed Confucius to speak as he did. This wonderful man was born in the year 551 B.C. He was a native of the province of Lew, now called Shan-tung. He thus appeared two years before the death of Thales, one of the seven wise men of Greece; was contemporary with Pythagoras; and preceded Socrates. In Chinese annals his birth is set down as occurring on the twenty-seventh day of the tenth moon, in the twenty-first year of the Emperor Ling-Wan, twenty-third emperor of the Chow dynasty. He was the son of a statesman, and in childhood is said to have had the wisdom of a grown person. He was grave, modest, serious, and addicted to study. He is described as a tall person, 9, cubits high, well-propor tioned, large breast and shoulders; in demeanour thoughtful, of an olive complexion, with large eyes, a long black beard, high forehead, protruding chin, his nose a little flat, ears large, voice strong and sharp, and in the middle of his forehead a slight protuberance, which led his father to call him Kew or Little Hill. MISSIONARY SCENES AND ADVENTURES IN CHINA. At a very early age he occupied an office under government, and rose from one post to another until he was made prime minister of his native province or kingdom; for at this time, China was divided into various petty monarchies. Finding his maxims unheeded he threw up his office and commenced to travel throughout the different states, promulgating his views of truth and duty. He was an upright man, a benevolent man, an earnest man, and endowed with a deep insight into human nature. By-and-by he commanded the respect of all and won the love of many. Hundreds of young men joined him, and after a time no fewer than three thousand waited upon him as his disciples. Of these, five hundred occupied offices under the different governments; but there were seventy-two distinguished above all others, and whose tablets are to the present time found side by side with his own tablet in his temples. He began to study, as he tells us, in the Lun-yu, at fifteen; and "at thirty his resolution was immoveably fixed." He then commenced direct teaching, but did not throw up his office and itinerate till fifty-five, and after this his life was very much chequered. Wicked men opposed him, tyrannical kings and ministers hated him. On one occasion he nearly lost his life. Hwan-to struck at him with a sabre; but the blow was providentially averted. On other occasions they laid wait for him, but he seems to have possessed great courage, and to have been a believer in fate. He said, "As heaven has produced such virtue in me, what can Hwan-to do?" He also seems to have thought himself commissioned to instruct mankind; for on another occasion we find him affirming, "If heaven means not to obliterate this doctrine from the earth, the men of Kwang can do nothing to me." We construe the word "heaven" in these quotations in a material sense for there is no trace in his own teaching of a personal omnipotent God. He died at the age of seventy-three, and his death was rather affecting. He found all his efforts to check anarchy and vice unavailing and said with tears, that "heaven or nature was taking him away." He moved about on his staff, and a few days before he died uttered these lines, "The mountain is crumbling; He appeared to argue if things continued so bad in 333 duty of life. He said, "Will not the word SERVE do?" Could anything surpass this? Serve implies everything. Again he gave distinct utterance to a precept which we have seen vaguely appearing in their older writings. He said, "We ought not to do to others what we would not wish them to do to us.' Some have affirmed this to be identical with our Saviour's command. But this is a mistake; for our Saviour's was positive, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," and not merely negative. But while his worldly maxims were excellent, his religious teaching was eminently pernicious. He professedly avoided speaking about God and a future state. When questioned he said, "Respect the gods, but keep them at a distance." Kee-loo, a disciple, on another occasion asked "how the gods ought to be served?" Confucius answered, "You cannot serve men, how can you serve the gods?" "I enquire concerning death; but as we do not yet know life, how can we know anything about death?" He taught that all our duties pertained to the present life, and that if we discharged all incumbent on us as subjects, citizens, brothers, children, and parents, we discharge the whole duty of man. As one of his commentators says, "Confucius spoke rarely of the Deity, desirous that men should find motives of action in themselves." He constantly harped upon "the three great relationships and the five constant virtues," viz., benevolence, uprightness, politeness, prudence, and faithfulness. His teaching thus cut the root from all religious belief. It was pure secularism, and we shall see the effects of it in future papers. These views of human duty were embraced by his disciples: they were embodied in books and thus transmitted to their successors, so that through generation after generation for these two thousand three hundred years has this moral poison been flowing. Nor is this all, he has been reverenced as the "infallible most holy sage" for many centuries. In every city and town there are temples in his honour; and twice every year the officials and literati in every district in the empire, proceed in all the pomp and circumstance of office and offer sacrifices to him. His books are the class books in every school in China, and committed to memory by every scholar. Every child as he enters the school, goes up and prostrates himself before the tablet of Confucius, and, having done this, also bows to his master, and takes his seat on his form. Thus the teachings of Confucius are sucked in with the mother's milk, and beaten in with the birch rod. His sayings are thus looked on in China as the precepts of our Saviour among ourselves. When we reflect upon the nature of his doctrines, and remember they have been thus instilled in the minds of the Chinese for all these centuries, we cease to wonder at the utter indifference which they now manifest to religious truth. They say, Not knowing the character of God, we can have no duties towards God; and as we are not sure about a future state, it is absurd to prepare for what may not be. This callousness has descended generation after generation, and as it descended increased, so that you almost think it is born with them, and part and parcel of their very nature. It meets you in every corner, glances from every eye, leaps from every tongue, appears in every action, and is patent in every book. No mere uninspired man has ever lived who has exercised such a wide-spread influence upon such a large portion of our race; and no man's influence has been so deadly to all Divine knowledge and religious duty. 334 THE PERFECT PATTERN. Missionarics have all been of opinion that some mighty convulsion was needed to shake China to its very centre to disorganise it, to drive men from their moorings of atheism and indifference, and thoroughly arouse them to a sense of the insecurity of every earthly object, and their need for something higher. And it has come; and come more speedily And and terribly than we dared to anticipate. in the slaughter, and burning, and devastation, and suicides, and misery, and want, and woe, which have for some time been tearing, and lacerating, and convulsing, that country, we see the promise of a better day. May God hasten it in his time! THE PULPIT IN THE FAMILY. THE PERFECT PATTERN. "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children."-Ephes. v. 1. too. HEN parents are such as Christian parents ought to be, their children should look to them as their example; and nothing on earth can be happier than a household in which the parents are walking in the ways of God, and their children following in their steps. Alas, how often is it far otherwise! Believers form one great family, of which God is the Father; the household of God. What has been said about earthly families applies to this family All the children of God should strive to follow him as their pattern. This seems to be the meaning of the text, "Be ye As his therefore followers of God, as dear children." children, his dear children, copy the example of your heavenly Father, imitate him in all your conduct. What a wonderful rule is this! How high a standard does it propose! We say sometimes of a very good "He is quite a pattern ;" and Paul said more than followers [or imitators] of me." But here we have a far higher example-not a good man, not Be imitators of even an apostle, but God himself. God: he is to be our pattern. Paul himself would have others follow him only so far as he followed this 66 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of pattern: Christ." man, once, "Be ye But how can God be an example to man? How can we poor creatures, in our little concerns and in our earthly and human duties, take pattern from God in heaven? In the first place, God has revealed himself to us in his word. There he has not only commanded us what to do, but has told us also much of his own Divine nature. He has set himself forth to us as perfect in holiness and goodness, and has shown himself so in all the record of his dealings, and he has said, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." But, not to dwell upon this, there is a clearer and more definite way in which we may take God for our example. The Son of God became man, and lived upon this earth. If there is a difficulty in seeing how God in heaven can be a pattern to us, the difficulty is removed when we think of the Son of God upon earth. Ile lived in our world; he had the same nature, the same feelings, the same everything with us, except sin, The evil that is on all sides of us was around him too. The difficulties, the trials, the sorrows that we meet with, he met with too, and much more. We can there fore take him as our pattern. We may fall far short, If Let us pause here for a moment. In a happy Christian family, where the children are walking in the steps of their parents, one main feature is mutual love. that be wanting, the whole tone of the household, as a Christian household, is lost. Whatever else there may be, the want of love spoils all. So it is in the family of God: all his children should be imitators of his love, and their love to him, and to one another for his sake, should bind them all together. Love is the very badge of God's servants, the very mark of his children. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." But we are to follow Christ, not only in this, but in all things. All that we see in him we are to copy; all that we see opposed to him we are to shun. Observe the list of sins that follows the text: "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor There was covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." nothing of all this in Christ, there must be nothing of it in us. Look at his life, then look at this list of sins. Can there be a greater contrast? The greater the difference, the more are we bound to shun such things, for HE is our pattern. Saints are they who are his by faith, and who are striving to follow him; they must consider whose they are and whom they serve, and seek carnestly to live as becomes their profession. The children of God are also heirs of God; they must put away, as children, all that would shut them out from being heirs. They are heirs by being joint heirs with Christ; their whole title rests on him; they must seek to be like him. I think I hear some one say, "This is going too far; no one can be so good as this; all have their faults, But what is your wish?-what is and must have." your aim? If you thought you could do so, would you then try to imitate God? Alas! I fear not. One who speaks thus is not one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. He who does not desire a perfect holiness does not really desire holiness at all. There is no hatred of sin in such a heart. What do you in fact say, when you speak thus? You declare that you will not follow the example that is set before you in the Bible. No: you will be content with another pattern. You will be guided by your own opinion, by reason, by what is casual. You will copy man, not God. Thus you set yourself directly against God's word, which "Be ye therefore followers of God." says, Let me not be mistaken. Let none suppose that we can follow God perfectly, or save ourselves by our own doings. Thank God, our hopes rest on a surer founda |