FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson
Chapter 19
The Taiping Revolution
(190) While the advent
message was just beginning in America, there was a most remarkable movement
going on in the heart of China. A heathen Chinese, without any acquaintance
with Christianity, had, in 1837, a series of remarkable visions, in which he
was shown the principal points in the Christian religion. In his visions
Hung-sui-tshuen was first taken to a river, where the celestial visitors said
to him: "Why hast thou kept company with yonder people and defiled
thyself?" He was then washed clean, his heart was taken out, and a new
heart was given him. (How could a heathen be given a better idea of conversion
and baptism?) He was then brought in before "a man, venerable in
years," "sitting in an imposing attitude upon the highest
place," whom he called "Our Heavenly Father." He also "met
with a man of middle age," whom he called "our Celestial Elder
Brother."
"Sui-tshuen's whole person became gradually changed,
both in character and appearance. He was careful in his conduct, friendly and
open in his demeanor."
When Sui-tshuen, in his visions, was brought in before
"Our Heavenly Father: he was shown the sinfulness of idolatry. God
"began to shed tears, and said, 'All human beings in the whole world are
produced and sustained by Me; they eat My food and wear My clothing,'" but
they have no "'heart to remember and venerate Me'" "'they take
of my gifts and therewith worship demons.'" "And thereupon he led
Sui-tshuen out, told him to look down from above, and said, 'Behold the people
upon the earth! Hundredfold is the perverseness of their souls.' Sui-tshuen
looked, and saw such a degree of depravity and vice that his eyes could not
endure the sight, nor his mouth express their deeds." He was then told to
go and rescue his brethren and sisters from the demons, and was given "a
seal, by which he would overcome the evil spirits," and our "Elder
Brother" "instructed him how to act," and "accompanied him
upon his wanderings." When "he woke from his trance" he started
on his God-given work.
(191) Before this Hung
had received from a stranger on the street nine small books, which he had not
read. Now he started to read them, and was joined by his cousin Le. The books
contained some chapters from the Bible which presented the same picture of God
and Christianity that he had seen in his visions. "Sui-tshuen felt as if
awakening from a long dream. He rejoiced in reality to have found a way to
heaven, and a sure hope of everlasting life." He and Le then baptized each
other. They prayed to God, and decided to obey His commands, and then felt
their hearts overflowing with joy. "They thereupon cast away their idols
and removed the table of Confucius." through their earnestness and joy in
the new-found salvation, many were soon won, and in answer to prayer the power
of God was manifested among them in healing the sick. They had also the
"gift of prophecy" among them.
"At this time, Hung prohibited the use of opium, and
even tobacco, and all intoxicating drinks, and the Sabbath was religiously
observed." - "The Ti-Ping Revolution,"
by Lin-Le, an officer among them, Vol. I, pp. 36-48, 84. London: 1866.
"The seventh day is most religiously and strictly
observed. The Taiping Sabbath is kept upon our Saturday." The Sabbath is
ushered in with prayer, and "two other services are held....Each service
opens with the Doxology:
"We praise thee, O God, our Heavenly Father; We praise
thee, Jesus, the Saviour of the world; We praise the Holy Spirit." - Id.,
p. 319.
When the Manchu government made war on the followers of Hung,
they organized their own government, and millions of Chinese gladly flocked to
their standard, because of the kindness and strict justice of their government.
During the wars, their soldiers were not allowed to drink the water nor eat the
food of the conquered without paying for them, and no crime was committed by
them, under death penalty. The Taipings printed the Bible and spread it among
their people, and the Ten Commandments were strictly followed.
(192) In 1862 there
were 85,000 converted Sabbath-keeping Christians among them, besides more than
45,000,000 others who gladly yielded themselves under their government, but
were not accepted as church members. Their territory covered 90,000 square
miles in the heart of China, and liquor, tobacco, opium, and idols were totally
banished from its whole extent. Had the Christian nations kept out of the
struggle, China today might have been a Sabbath-keeping Christian country. But
two influences conspired against the Taipings, or God-worshipers, as they were
called: 1. English opium-traders became alarmed about the probable destruction
of opium and the loss of the millions they earned annually in the opium trade
in China. 2. The Taipings did not understand the difference between the images
of saints, used by the French Jesuits in their worship and the idols used by
the heathen Manchus, so the Taipings opposed them indiscriminately, which
aroused the ire of the Jesuits, and finally Christian countries assisted in
completely destroying the Taipings. Lin-Le, heart-sickened at the thought of
this "cruel sacrifice of the greatest Christian movement this world had
ever witnessed," exclaims:
"What excuse can missionaries give for their surprising
negligence of...the 70,000,000, and upwards, of those who might have become
Christians under the Taiping authority during 1861-1862." - Id., pp. 310,
312.
The terrible massacre of the Taipings was so heart-rending
that we must not describe it here, but will refer the reader to the description
of it given by H. L. Hastings, in his book: "Signs
of the Times," pages 149-151. We can see in this another evidence
of the vigilant spirit that eagerly watches and determinedly opposes every
effort to wrest souls out of his grasp, or to bring the true knowledge of God
to mankind. (Revelation 12:17.)
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