REV. ARTHUR ELWIX OX ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 



69 



them, which can only be bestowed by God ; very much as tlie 

 reverence given to the saints by the early church has 

 degenerated in our day in certain (.[uarters into actual worship. 



But to-day we must confine our attention to China, and first 

 we must notice, that, of all the religions we find in China, 

 Ancestral Worship is by far the oldest. In the Book of History 

 we read that the Emperor Shun, about the year B.C. 2254, tliat 

 is before the time of Abraham, " was crowned in the temple of 

 his accomplished ancestor ; " and after a long and fatiguing 

 turn of inspection, " he went to the Temple of his Cultivated 

 Ancestor and offered one bullock." The title given to this 

 Emperor's Minister of State was tlie Arranger of the Ancestral 

 Temple. 



In the Book of Historv we are also told that Kingj Woo, 

 who founded the Chow Dynasty, which lasted nine hundred 

 years, from B.C. 1122 to B.C. 235, when going forth to fight, 

 used these words: — "He, the enemy, abides sitting at ease, not 

 serving God or the Spiiits of heaven or earth, and neglecting 

 also the temple of his ancestors, and not sacrificing in it." He 

 adds : " I, a little child, have received charge from my deceased 

 father, Wan. I have sacrificed to God, I liave performed due 

 service to the great earth." He returned triumphant, and, we 

 are told, he sacrificed in the Ancestral Temple, and three days 

 after he present(3d a burnt ottering to liedven. The Emperor 

 Woo was contemporary with King Saul. 



There is also a most interesting account of the dangerous 

 illness of King AVoo, and how his younger brother was willing 

 to die for him. We read the Duke Chow (that is, the younger 

 brother), when he heard of the serious illness of the king, 

 immediately erected three altars to the spirits of his deceased 

 father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and prayed to them 

 as follows: — " Your chief descendant is suflering from a severe 

 and dangerous illness. If you three Ivings have in heaven the 

 charge of watching over him, let me be his substitute." This 

 prayer was deposited among the State papers. Eive years after 

 this King Woo died, and was succeeded by a youthful heir. 

 Duke Chow was accused of treachery and went into exile, 

 but when this prayer was found among the State papers left 

 by King Woo, Duke Chow was at once recalled, and his former 

 honours restored to him. Both Dr. Legge and an old Chinese 

 commentator on the classics, think that Duke Chow offered 

 this prayer to the three kings as mediators oi intercessors. 



Confucius distinctly taught the duty of Ancestral AVorship, 

 and enjoined it upon his followers. We have only time for 



