The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-09-04
Aums&hpla aEpras.
Letters to Children from Mr.. Houston.
ON IDOLS.

HANGCHOU, CHINA, May Il, 1Ct -
To the Children of the Sabbath School:
Dear Children: would like to say few
words to you about the idols of China. If
any of YOU could come to this land, and go
to the places where the people worship, the
first thing that would strike you, 1 think,
would be the fierce, cruel look Of many Of
the idols. There is, for instance, only few
feet from our boys school, an arched pas
sage which leads up to a hill on which
great many temples stand. In this passage
there are four very large idols, which are
wOrshipped every year by thousands and
thousands Of people, men, women, and chill
dren, who bring incense and candles and
presents of meat and vegetables to offer be-
fore them. Yet, these idols are hOrrid to
look at. They have dark, scOwling faces.
Their eyes seem to be starting out of their
heads with rage. In their hands they carry
great knives and spears and handouts, and
they seem to be stepping forth with their
giant forms, as if to slay the person that
bows before them. In some of the temples,
these great idols actually have the form of
man under their feet, as though the god were
crushing some poor wretch to death. Now
the idols Of the heather, as you know, are
the work of mems hands, and we might have
thought that if people had their own gods to
make, they would like to make them pleas
ant and gOod-natured in their looks Why,
is it, then, that so many Of the idols look
dark and angry? This is what l would like
YOU to think Of. Why is it the heather
make for themselves an image which seems
to threaten to kill them? 1 will tell you
Why think this is, and you can think Of 1t
yourselves, and see whether or not l am
right.
These heather all know that they are sin
ners. They have all at one time or other
lied and cheated and disobeyed their parents,
and done other things which they knew
ought not to be done Now the Bible says
of the heather, that they know 1.-The judg
ment of God, that they which commit such
things are worthy of DEATH Rom. j. 81.
That is, they know there is God over them.
They know that this God will punish the
wicked. They know that they themselves
are wicked and deserve to die; and so, they
look upon God as ready to slay them. Now,
suppose heather who thinks about these
things. lie breads death. He wants to
turn away the wrath of God. And so he
brings an offering before the idol, that in his
foolish heart, he thinks is God. Now. do
YOU not see. that if the idol had a smiling,
goodnatured face, the man would say, This
is not the God that 1 have to do with. The
God that I want TO pray to is an angry God,
an offended God. He is about to kill me!
And so, he would wish to come to an idol
that looked angry and fierce. This is the
reason, 1 think, why the idols here are 50
many of them dark and threatening in their
looks
There are some people, dear children, who
saw that the heather will be saved without
the knowledge of our Saviour, Jesus Christ
/ do not think that those who say this know
what they talk about. These idols show
what the heather themselves think about it.
There would be no such idols if the people
did not feel they are under wrath and they
all fear to die. We ourselves are poor sin
ners Ike them, and We have known, too,
what it is to fear DEATH but when we come
to Christ, when We say from our hearts
s,Ny faith looks up to thee
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine.
then our fear is turned into joy, aud We see
only love and pity in the face of our God.
But these poor heather they look up only
to the knife and spear in the hands of the
idol. In the face Of their God they see
nothing but cruel wrath: and the only way
they know to be saved is to burn little in
eense and few candles, aud TO make an
Offering Of something to eat before the dumb
image at whose feet they tremble. May
these thoughts lead you to feel the deepest
pity for this people, and show you how plain
is our duty to bring the gospel to them at
once. Very truly your friend,
NJ. IL HOUSTON.
TIE N,Ss0RQry