Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-08-27

NJ. THE CHINESE CHRISTIANITY.
The visit Of her Britannia Majesty's steamer Hermes
TO Nankn has opened scene in the great Chinese
drama 1t has seemed confirm previous surmses that
large number Of the Chinese Of the revolted armies
socaed Christians and destroyers of idols This class
Of the revoutioniss had been known for some time be-
fore as the "Shang-d Brotherhood" and had made
statement of their views and principles in procama
tionsone issued by Yang, the Eastern king and the
other by Sian, the Western King in the early part Of the
present year. The following curious particulars win
illustrate their religious belief precepts moral CODE
and ideas of Christianity
THE ORIGIN THEIR CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
From The Correspondent Of the China Nail Of Moy "a.
1t will perhaps prove interesting you to learn what
is known OF the origin of their Christian knowledge
Their chief on earth Hung Siu-tsuen, who is styled the
TAPPING Wang and = to whom kind of divine origin
and mission is ascribed" is native of Hw ahien dis
trict of Kwang-chau department in Canton Province
He came to the residence of missionary in Canton, in
1885, to learn the Christian doctrines. lie remained in
this missonarys house several months supported by him
and was daily engaged memorzng the Holy Scriptures
and receiving instruction in them When he came to the
missionary he gave him paper in Chinese stating that
his attention had first been directed to these doctrines by
tract entitled Good words exhorng the age" which
had been given him. several years previously in Canton
when he was attending the literary examination that
there only God that Jesus was the Saviour
the folly Of idolary; the duty Of repentance &cwere
further impressed upon his mind in vision which he had
subsequently, during spell Of sickness and that hav-
ing heard that there was foreign teacher in Canton he
had come to be instructed in these doctrines This paper
unfortunately lost After several months nstruc-
ton he requested BAPTISM but the missionary was not
satisfied that he proper subject for that ordinance
and wished wait for decided evidence Of faith and
repentance lie afterwards left Canton for Kwangs He
was small man, of good appearance and address, and
Of considerable aainments in Chinese literature but in
no way very remarkable.
In September of 1852 man Of the same surname as
Hung Siu-tsincn came TO Hong Kong He proessed to
be friend OF the chief and also to be believer in chris
tianity He made the acquaintance Of missionary in
Hong Kong and requested baptism Of him. which request
not granted SO far as am informed During his
intercourse with this missionary he gave him papers
in Chinese containing notice Of the conversion
Of Hung and the other containing
Of himself, the commencement of their preaching, and
the attendant prosecutions and their subsequent
Meeting themselves with the robbers in kwangs in 1850
The first paper, in addition the particulars above
given, communicated by Hung Siu-tsuen himself
the missionary in Canton in 1885, states that he
student from his youth, and of ranscendant ability
that after he returned from Canton to Kwangsi he
commenced teaching and preaching THAI he many
books, explaining Christian doctrines, and exhotting
to believe them that he met with opposition and
that he worked miracles foretold future events and
visions
ofhimself he states in the second paper that lie was
teacher and that after Hung had explained him the
doctrines Of the he had received the examinations
and the substance of his subsequent vision, he imme
datey believed the doctrines and discarded the worship
Of Conucius from his school and the idols from his
house. and commenced exhortng his friends and relations
to believe and do likewise Some believed but others
oppos In the year 1916 he and others he having
given his school, commenced preaching these doctrines
from village TO village in Hwa-hen district, and after
wards they went TO Kwangs, where they had much
greater success in propagatng the doctrines than in
Kwangtu They went and came several times between
Wherever a believed
destroyed the idols and the temples At first the mags
traes did not modest them admitting they were good
people, and that the doctrines were good but that after
wards, when the robbers were numerous under the
pretext Of suppresng the robbers they prosecuted hem
and two Of their number, surnamed Lu and Wang, died
under their suferngs from these prosecutions At first
they had intention Of rebellng against the Govern
ment, but being goaded it by their prosecutions and
finding in 1850 of thousands gathered together d.
ofrobhers in Kwang-s, they considered them wing
Of protection attached themselves to them and became
their leaders organizing themselves with the professed
object Of overturning the Government So far from
garing these insurgents with favor account Of their
protested acknowledgment of God aud their belief
in the Sacred Scriptures regard these facts
with the deepest socitgc 2s calculated seriously
compromise the character of our holy in the
Of this heather nation. -.
claim to be commissioned from God and assert that he
mraculousy assisted them In OF the proclamations
referred to above, enumeratng the destruction Of the
world by the food the deverance Of the Israeites from
Egypt and the incarnation Of the Lord jesus the Land
OF Judea three great interpretations God in human
affairs they proceed TO state In the later nges he has
again manifested his indignation and in the year 1897 the
great God celestial messenger who commission
ed BY the Lord Of Heaven when he assembled high pub
death the fendsh bands Again he has the Celes
tal King the lead Of the Empire and the peo
pie From L. D. lS4S the great God has compassion
ated the calames Of the people, who have been enapg
led in the meshes Of the devils net the third month
Of the year 1851 the exalted Lord and great Emperor
pearcd and in the month Of the year. Jesus, the
Saviour Of tie world manifested himself exertng innu-
merable acts of power and slaughterng great number
Of mpish fends in several pitch battles" In the
count Of the ermes visit ii is stated that in recountng
their miraculous escape from Yungngan city, they say
" Our Heavenly Father came down and showed US the
way TO break out"
HrsroRY AID APPEARANCE OF TEEy-wANc, THE " HEA-
vEyLY PRINCE AND MS CoNPEERs-The acknowledged
chief Of the insurgents is entitled by them Teen-wang
l. e. Heavenly King Prince, the latter word being in
his case equivalent to sovereign prince In conversation
he is sometimes called Taeping Wang Prince of Peace"
but rarely; Tea-piDg being the title Of the projected
new dynasty not that Of this individual monarch The
existence OF any such person title Teenh dis
tncy ignored by the Northern Prince the highest chief
seem who said it phrase Of " outside people !" and
nothing was heard Of the establishment Of the Ming
dynasty.
No little mystery exists with respect to the Teen-wang
his being still alive The imperialists all declare him
have died some months back but with them the wish
may be father the belief The insurgents all speak
him rs living but few Of the long haired except
the hi CHER leaders, could say they had him lie is
said TO come occasionally in large chair but it is
completely sbrouded in yellow silk render the pre-
sumed occupant invisible lie is said to inhabit the va
nun Of tie Governor General and countrymen who
rode past that establishment certainly signs Of its be-
ing occupied by person Of great Importance consdera-