services. As their worship is all form and ceremony, almost the first question is, What ceremonies do you perform before him or his image? It seems to them that worship consists of ceremonies, and that ceremonies are worship. On one Sabbath, a man came in at the close of the exercises, as I was in the act of removing a map which had been hung over the pulpit to illustrate my remarks. He inquired of me, ' What divinity or idol is that?' Perhaps he was an illiterate man, as there were large characters on the map showing it to be a map of the World. Or on the supposition of his being able to read, he might still suppose the map to be an object of worship; so necessary does it seem to this poor people to have some visible representative in their religious rites. "When I visit the chapel on week-days, the time is spent as may seem best in the circumstances; sometimes in familiar conversation, which is by no means the least profitable mode; and sometimes in extended remarks, either in general or on some passage previously selected for the occasion. According to the first plan, the Missionary is enabled to meet the errors of heathenism more directly, and confute and rebuke them to some purpose. At such times too, he discovers more fully the many misconceptions of the people in respect to Christianity. He hears, for instance, such questions as these: 'You speak of believing in Jesus, of reverencing him; how is this to be done?' 'Do you burn incense, or light candles before him?' 'Where is he?' 'When you pray to him, can The following paragraph is from the pen of the Rev. S. Cummings, also of the Fuh-chau Mission, and has reference to the opium trade in that city. After stating the value of the total import of opium into China for 1849, which was about twenty-seven millions of dollars, Mr. C. adds, describing its effects on the consumers:— "Such is the sum which this poor people, already crushed to the earth under the burdens heaped upon them by their idolatry and superstition, are paying for a drug that brings them no profitable return whatever. Neither the opium-seller nor the opium-consumer can point to a single advantage to the country resulting from the use of the article. The most that any one has ever pretended to say in its defence, so far as we know, is that it is an innocent luxury. It is not as mere political economists, however, that we look at this subject. Opium inflicts other injuries upon this people of infinitely greater moment; and it is in view of these that we lift up our voice against it. It undermines health, ruins character, and destroys life. Its victims become useless members of society, and a burden to their friends. They lose all regard for their own comfort, or that of their families. They even sell the clothes of their children and their wives, and finally they part with their own, to obtain the means for gratifying their appetite. And when all other sources fail, children and wives must themselves be sacrificed. These are mercilessly sold, that, with the price of human flesh, their husbands and fathers may be able to obtain opium. Such is the effect of the drug upon the family! Its influence upon character is equally disastrous. It begets in its victims a perfect recklessness in respect to moral principle; and there is no species of dishonesty to which they will not resort. They soon become addicted to the commission of crime; and they persevere in their course of wickedness, till an outraged community casts them out; after which they wander as vagabonds through the streets, begging the means of subsistence, and finally lie down and die of cold and starvation."— Abridged from the Chinese Repository, August to December, 1851. FUH-CHAU. THE following descriptive notice of some of the peculiar customs and opinions prevalent among the Chinese, is from the pen of the Rev. L. B. Peet, one of the Missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, under date Fuh-Chau, 7th February ult. " FUNERAL RITES OF THE CHINESE. Immediately after the death of an individual, a hole is made in the roof of the house with a bamboo pole, to let the soul or spirit depart. It is well known that the common belief among the Chinese is, that each person has three souls and seven animal spirits; and the object of the above ceremony seems to be, to let the latter escape and fly away, to prevent their becoming injurious to the living. This is succeeded by another ceremony, called t'hoùng to peng; which means to remove a small garment, worn in front next to the body, in form like a short apron, containing a pocket for carrying money and cther valuables. This is thrown away, "in order to assist the soul in the next birth." Here is distinctly recognized and taught the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. "The use of the pwang keó săi is another development of what is supposed to be the condition of the soul after death. This is a wooden frame, resembling a small round table, coming to a point in the centre, on which are suspended several tiers of lamps, all lighted, the largest being on the top. This is placed near the corpse soon after death, to give light to the soul. As the eyes of the body become dim, and are closed, so it would seem the soul is supposed to be in need of artificial light. The use of the 'painted face,' is another illustration of what is thought of the soul, after it leaves the body. Soon after death an artist is called to paint the face of the deceased, if not the whole body, in a miniature form; and this picture is used as the representation of his personal presence during the season of mourning; which continues forty-nine days. Afterward it is laid aside, or exchanged for the ancestral tablet. "Previous to being laid in the coffin, the old clothes are removed, and the body is dressed in new garments, the best that can be afforded. Food is then presented to the mouth of the deceased; but it is not received; and it is immediately thrown away. A paper sedan is now prepared, brought into the presence of the corpse, and burnt. The object is to convey the soul of the individual, in this way, to the invisible world. "After the body has been placed in the coffin, it is removed to the principal room in the house; when a large chair is placed near it at the head of the room, with the painted image of the deceased suspended from the wall behind. Then follows the seong mah chea, literally the mounting-horse offering.' The meaning seems to be, that the soul is now, as it were, mounted on a horse, ready to take its departure to the spiritual world. Food is consequently presented to it for the journey. Cooks are employed, whose profession it is to prepare food for this purpose. The best that the family can provide is made ready, and placed on one or more tables, which are arranged before the chair and the painted face. The relations and friends then partake of it; and the soul is supposed to be present, occupying the chair, and enjoying the feast. This ceremony of providing a feast is continued on every seventh day after the death of the individual, till the seventh day has been seven times repeated, or till the forty-ninth day. In the case of a parent, the female portion of the household gather around the coffin and the great chair, about eight o'clock in the evening, and weep and wail and call upon the soul of the deceased to take rest. In the morning a bowl of water and a napkin are brought to the same place, when they invite the deceased to wash. A breakfast and dinner are also daily provided, and presented in the same way. One or more of the children (sons, if there be such) lie by the side of the coffin during the night, accompanying the soul during this season of mourning. "During the same period, usually preceding the seventh day, the priests are called in more or less frequently, according to the wishes and wealth of the family, to chant prayers, to deliver the soul from punishment, and to take away its sins. On these occasions a bamboo pole is erected outside of the house, from the top of which are suspended various figures made of paper, in the form of birds, lanterns, &c., to invite the assistance of spiritual beings from a distance. At the same time paper boxes are provided for the purpose, containing paper representing silver and gold coins, clothes, and other valuables, all of which they propose to transmit to the soul by burning them. On the evening of the fourteenth and thirtieth days of each month after the forty-ninth day of mourning, the females of the family burn paper and incense, and present food and drink before the soul, which is accompanied with weeping and mourning. This should be continued three years, according to the custom of the Chinese. "There is a feast, preceded with mourning and lamentation, which takes place at the house, and before the painted face and great chair, on the evening before the burial; which may occur in a few days after death, or it may be delayed for months and even for years. When the burial takes place, the relatives dress in white, with an upper garment of coarse brown cloth, the same that in Scripture is called sackcloth. Females put off their mourning at the end of the year, males at the close of three years. When they go out to bury, they take the painted face of the parent and the ancestral tablet; and on returning home they burn the former, and set the tablet in its stead. On the evening of the fourteenth and thirtieth days of each month, incense and offerings are presented before this tablet. Offerings of food, with incense and paper money, are presented at the tombs once or oftener every year. So on the anniversary of the death of the individual, a similar offering is presented before his tablet." FUTURE STATE. "It is a common opinion among the Chi nese, that the regions of the dead are placed under the government of a single individual, who acts as criminal judge, and punishes the soul according to its sins in this life. For this purpose he is said to have eighteen places of punishment, each varying in intensity according to the degree of the guilt of those who are consigned to them. The Chinese divide the universe into three divisions, the first including the lower regions, the second the present world, and the third the upper regions, or the dwelling-place of the gods celestial. The inhabitants of the first are called kwúy, 'spirits' or 'ghosts,' and those of the third are called shin, 'gods.' In respect to the kwúy, it is supposed that some descend in the scale of animal existence, and are born brutes; some continue in a separate state, in the form of hungry and famishing ghosts; some are again born in a human form; while few rise in the scale of being, and become gods.' Hence the practice of presenting offerings of food to the dead, which prevails so universally among the Chinese. This is done for the benefit of the 'spirits' of the dead, and to prevent them from doing injury to the living. 6 According to the Chinese, the three souls and seven spirits of each individual are uncreated; and, though separated from the body at death, they may again be collected, and constitute another person, when they will lose all consciousness of a former life. Thus the Chinese acknowledge no Creator as the author of their existence; and, consequently, they recognize no obligation or duties to such a Being."-Missionary Herald, Aug. 1852. SALONICA. MISSION TO THE JEWS. THE following narrative of a tour into Thessaly, undertaken by the Rev. E. M. Dodd, an Agent of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, is extracted from the Missionary Herald of August ult. As, independently of the important objects of the journey, the traveller passed over scenes alike dear to all students of Holy Scripture, and to those conversant with the classic pages of the Grecian muse, the narrative has peculiar claims to an attentive perusal : "Last spring," observes the editor of the Missionary Herald, "Mr. Dodd made a short tour into Thessaly, partly for the improvement of his health, and partly to sow the good seed of the Word. He enjoyed some excellent opportunities, it will be seen, for preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ, both to Jews and Gentiles; and he hopes that his bodily strength has been increased by the excursion. "The districts through which our young brother travelled, are interesting for a variety of reasons. He has crossed the Axius, the Lydias, and the Heliacmon; and he has journeyed along the banks of the Peneus during many a favoured hour. He has looked upon Olympus and Ossa, and slept in the Vale of Tempe. But he has done more than this. He has gone from Thessalonica to Berea, as did the great Apostle of the Gentiles, and there preached to the seed of Abraham the same gospel which Paul loved to proclaim. He has penetrated to the heart of ancient Thessaly, and there had deeply interesting interviews with Paul's brethren according to the flesh. And that blessed Spirit, who gave such efficacy to the gospel eighteen hundred years ago, even among the Jews, can make the truths uttered by our young brother quick and powerful. RIDE TO BEREA. 'I left Salonica,' writes Mr. Dodd, 'in the afternoon of April 16, and travelled four hours to the Vardar, on the banks of which I spent the night. Next morning, after crossing the broad and shallow river, by a wooden bridge one quarter of a mile long, we entered a great swamp, caused by the overflow of the Vardar; and for an hour we waded through mud and water, often two feet deep, and sometimes barely fordable. Beyond this we passed several large Bulgarian villages. Two hours beyond the Vardar we came to the Karazwak, the ancient Lydias, which has three branches, one coming from near Berea, one from Vodena, and one being the outlet of Lake Pella, on the shore of which Alexander the Great was born. This is a large and deep river; and we crossed it in a boat. At the end of three hours more, we came to the banks of the Indjekara, the ancient Heraclimon. We did not cross it, but kept along its northern bank, till we reached Berea, at five o'clock in the afternoon, having been in the saddle ten hours and a half. From the walls of Salonica to the Lydias, twenty miles, the land is very barren, being barely above the level of the sea, and strongly impregnated with salt, often white, indeed, with saline incrustations. As we approach Berea the soil appears richer; the grass is taller and fresher; trees (very scarce near Salonica) became more numerous; and all nature is more agreeable, though it continues perfectly flat. 'Berea is situated on the eastern slope of the lofty mountains which bound this great plain on the west. As compared with Salonica or most Eastern cities, it is a beautiful town. It is compactly built of a soft, porous stone, easily hewn. Through the better houses of the place, and all its principal streets, flow streams of pure water from the mountain; which afterwards form two large brooks, one flowing to the Heliacmon and one to the Lydias.' "The population of Berea is nearly six thousand. Of these two hundred are Jews, ten or fifteen hundred Turks, and the rest Greeks. They have an ample supply of places for public worship, there being one synagogue, twelve mosques, and sixty Greek churches. THE WORD PREACHED AT BEREA. Early on the morning of April 18, the Jews having been duly informed of our arrival with books for sale, they began to visit our room in the khan. The books opened the way for conversation; and they listened with respectful attention, while I "reasoned of righteousness" and "judgment to come;" but when I spoke of a merciful Messiah they were offended. I preached to several successive companies, till my throat was wearied; subsequently I had other conversations. The Jews of Berea are "more noble than those of Thessalonica," in that they listen with respect and some apparent interest, and without captious gainsaying, their questions and objections having some reason in them. Many Greeks also came in; but they forced us immediately into a discussion about the perpetual virginity of Mary, the celibacy of the priests, &c.; and when they were shown our proof texts, they denied the purity of our copies of the New Testament. As my only medium of intercourse with them was Turkish, which they understood imperfectly, the discussion was tedious and painful; and I soon left them with Hohannes, our Armenian helper, and reserved my strength to preach to the Jews in "their own tongue." Greek is the chief language of the city; but the Jews speak Sefardee among themselves. "On the following day our Missionary brother received no visits from the Jews. He subsequently learned that a 'curse' had been uttered against him in the synagogue. But the Greeks continued to call, and discuss the points in which they were particularly interested. This, however, was prohibited next (Sabbath) morning, an anathema having been duly pronounced in the ears of the people. 'Many who were thus first made acquainted with us,' Mr. Dodd says, 'came to our khan, and from a respectful distance gazed at the room in which we were. As they went away, their places were taken by others, many of whom ventured to approach nearer and look through the door and windows, if peradventure they might get a sight of this object of episcopal displeasure.' "The day was damp and cheerless; and the khan had but scanty accommodations for travellers. The paper windows were torn and open,' Mr. Dodd says, 'and the floor was little more than lattice-work, over the reeking stables, the steam of which helped to keep us warm. But He who refused not to be born in a stable, was with us, making the place king's palace.' RIDE TO LARISSA. 'Early next morning we commenced our journey southward, toward Larissa. Our road led directly up the mountain behind Berea; and we continued ascending till noon. During the first two hours we had the plain below in full view, with its rich verdure and blossoming trees, in strange contrast with the snow-capped summits of the mountains before us. We afterward descended into the valley of the Heliacmon, walking and leading our horses for two hours down the precipitous path. After ascending and descending another spur of the Olympian range, we arrived at a small Turkish village about sundown, having eaten nothing since breakfast. Next day we reached a small Greek and Turkish town, on the mountain side, surrounded by wild and sublime scenery, and a enjoying the purest mountain air. Wednesday we travelled through the rain and mud by a most wretched road to Allasona, arriving at sundown. This is a Greek village of some three thousand inhabitants. 'On the following day we finally emerged from the mountains, and descended into the beautiful plain of Larissa. It was very refreshing and agreeable, after our mountain journey, to look upon the smooth, green meadows, vineyards as interminable as Ohio cornfields, and the gentle Peneus leisurely moving toward the sea. One thing was particularly pleasing, as it was the first time I had seen it since leaving America. The road for miles was bounded by a hedge, and lined with elm trees; while the fields on either side were all cultivated.' "Larissa contains from twenty to thirty thousand inhabitants; of whom two thousand are Jews, perhaps five thousand Turks, and the remainder Greeks. The Peneus flows by the city, its waters being the dependence of the inhabitants. 'Like those of the Mississippi, they are muddy when first brought; but after standing they become somewhat clear, and very sweet.'" JEWS OF LARISSA. 'The chief language of the city is Greek. The Jews are so little accustomed to hear any one speak Sefardee, except themselves. that they were sure that I was a Jew, and could hardly be convinced to the contrary. |