Chap. I. TENETS OF CHINESE CHEISTIANS. 



19 



had deserved, and offer at the same time to receive 

 the blows in his stead. But the Celestial King 

 will not hear of this, and insists on receiving the 

 blows on his own person, prostrating himself for 

 the purpose. The Heavenly Father now relents, 

 and says, " Since you have obeyed the requisition, 

 I shall not inflict the blows." The Heavenly 

 Father then returns again to heaven, and the 

 Eastern Prince is himself once more. 



And now it becomes the duty of the Northern 

 Prince to report to the Eastern Prince what the 

 Heavenly Father had communicated, the latter 

 pretending to be profoundly ignorant on the 

 matter. " My fourth Elder Brother," said he, 

 " the Heavenly Father has again troubled himself 

 to come down into the world." The Eastern 

 Prince appeared much pleased and said, " Has 

 he indeed taken the trouble to come down again ? 

 Truly he gives himself a great deal of trouble on 

 our account." 



The Eastern Prince, having been thus informed 

 of the nature of the divine commands, hastens to 

 communicate them to the Celestial King — a por- 

 tion of them, however, appear to have been com- 

 municated before, during the interview at the 

 palace. The Celestial King receives the heavenly 

 commands with respect and gratitude, and then 

 gives expression to an idea which, if we under- 

 stand aright, is nothing else than blasphemy. And 

 be it remembered that this is uttered by Hung- 

 sew-tseuen, the leader of this so-called Christian 



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