349 
A GENERAL VIEW OF WHAT ARE REGARDED BY THE 
CHINESE AS OBJECTS OF WORSHIP, 
By the Revd. Alexander Stronach, 
Throughout the empire of China some vague idea is entertain¬ 
ed by the people of the existence of one great being, whom they 
designate as Shang-ti,—the Supreme Ruler,—the Supreme Sove¬ 
reign, or whom they call T’ien, Heaven ; and believe that he, by a 
fixed destiny, controls all the affairs of men. The learned among 
the Chinese speak of him,—as he is represented in their most an¬ 
cient classics,—as having no form, nor sound, nor savour, nor tangi¬ 
bility; and to their minds he appears divested of all distinct perso¬ 
nality. They do not regard this sublime being as properly the cre¬ 
ator of the universe, nor as possessed of the attributes of eternal, 
and independent existence; but merely as a vast, all controlling pow¬ 
er, the producer, and the disposer of all things. The work of crea¬ 
tion, or of “the evolving of the heavens and the earth” they as¬ 
cribe to the first man , whom they call P’wan Koo : yet he is never 
regarded as an object of worslup. 
In very ancient times idolatry was unknown in China. But as 
age succeeded age the ideas of men concerning God became more 
and more darkened, until idolatry became universally prevalent. 
And now the people generally conceive of Shang ti, T’ien, or, T’ien 
Kung,—heaven’s Lord, as residing far, far above, enshrined and se¬ 
cluded amidst liis unapproachable majesty. Their ideas of him are 
mere amplifications of those which they entertain regarding'the Em¬ 
peror. They believe also that the supreme being employs a host of 
spiritual ministers, of various ranks, just as the Chinese Emperor 
has his ministers, or officiating rulers of every grade, set over the 
various provinces, and attending to the complicated affairs of the 
empire* 
These spiritual ministers of heaven they call Shin,—expansive 
spirits, or Shin ming,—illustrious spiritual beings. They divide 
them into the two large classes of T’ien shin,—“heavenly, or superior 
