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The Missionary

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International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 22, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 16.

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The Missionary.

By Editor

What Christian Chinamen Must Endure.

FROM the Missionary Herald, Nov., 1885, we take the following:—
“In an excellent article on ‘The Chinaman in Christian Lands,’ in the Chinese Recorder for April, by the Rev. H. V. Noyes, there is a striking account given of the obstacles which stand in the way of a Chinaman if he makes a Christian profession. The following statement is quoted from utterances of a native who had himself been beaten by his own mother, and utterly cast out because of his faith in Christ. He had seen his younger brother also hung up by ropes placed under his arms, and beaten until his back was a mass of bleeding flesh, on account of his steadfast refusal to worship before an idol shrine. This man, who had patiently borne such bitter persecutions, mentions the following as among the difficulties which a Chinese Christian will have to overcome:—
“(a) We worship the true God, and trust in him for everything. We will not worship idols, therefore the people of the world hate us.
“(b) We must live with neighbors who are heathen. Every year there are many occasions when contributions are solicited for theaters, for various idolatrous festivals, for building or repairing temples, for the service of the temples, or other idolatrous offerings assumed by the shops in turn. If we refuse to give such contributions, the people will certainly revile us, perhaps band together in crowds to abuse us, and perhaps attack us with spears, or knives, or guns. The wiser portion may be aware that it is not lawful for them to thus maltreat us openly on account of our belief in Jesus, but they will make hidden plans to injure us.
“(c) If we live in villages, there will be other clans besides our own. The villagers will certainly have gods of the land, and of grain, which all who live in the village are expected to worship. The expenses will be distributed either according to persons or families. If we refuse our quota, the villagers will certainly revile us, and perhaps beat us, or likely enough refuse to guard our rice-fields, or will burn our property.
“(d) If any villager builds a house, he must select a lucky day, and employ the priests to drive away the evil spirits. If we who believe in Jesus refuse to do this, and then any of the villagers are taken sick and die, the responsibility of the death is laid at our doors, and we are required to make a recompense for the man's life.
“(e) At the time of marriage a lucky day must be selected, and every possible effort will be made to compel us to bow before the ancestral tablet and worship. If we refuse, we cannot avoid the reproaches of our fathers and brothers.
“(f) If parents die, we are expected to employ Buddhist or Taoist priests to deliver their souls from hell, to burn incense of various kinds, and, if we refuse, our brethren and kindred will beat us, or perhaps the maternal uncles will tear down our houses, and destroy our property, perhaps steal our pigs and cattle, butcher them, and eat them, while we do not dare to resist.
“(g) At the annual distribution of the clan dividends, if we will not unite in ancestral worship, we will probably be deprived of our share, or if we have sufficient influence to obtain it, we can hardly escape being bitterly reviled.
“(h) If we are engaged in trade, we may be called upon to contribute for useless superstitions and idolatrous customs, and if we refuse, we are fortunate if we do not lose our customers. Quite likely we may be injured by secret plots, and will certainly find it difficult to escape the ill-will of the neighborhood.
“(i) If we were employed as workmen, many employers will wish us to light incense and candles in idolatrous worship of the god of wealth, and we will almost certainly be required to work on the Sabbath day. If we refuse, we will probably lose the good-will of our employers and our situations also.
“(j) If employed in teaching, we must put the pictures of the sages on the wall to be worshiped. If we will not do this, the parents dislike it and we lose our scholars.’
As we read the above we cannot help wondering how many professed Christians in America would be willing to confess Christ under such circumstances. How often we have heard zealous church-members who acknowledge that the seventh day, Saturday, is the only Sabbath, say that they could not think of keeping it, because it would interfere with their business. They did not expect to be beaten or hung up by the arms, or to be obliged to bear the responsibility of somebody's death, or to have their property stolen and destroyed, if they kept the Sabbath. Nothing of the kind; they only expected to suffer a little inconvenience.
Now if people in a Christian land, with the assurance of protection by the laws, will refuse to perform an acknowledged Scriptural duty because it may cause them a little inconvenience, is it to be supposed that they would make even a profession of Christianity if it involved the hardships it does in heathen lands? If inconvenience is an adequate excuse for refusing to keep the Sabbath, ought not the Chinaman to be excused if he refuses to accept Christianity at all? And, finally, if the Chinaman who refuses to acknowledge Christ, after the gospel has been preached to him, even though it may involve loss of property and friends and perhaps life itself, shall be condemned in the Judgment, what shall be the fate of professed Christians who refuse to do known duty because it brings with it a slight cross?

“Together with Him.”