THE CHINESE.

A CHINESE CHRISTIAN IN CHINA.

Chin Toy was a shoemaker until he accepted my invitation to become a Missionary Helper.  His education, in English and as a Christian, has been wholly in our humble mission work.  He is now engaged in evangelistic service.  Having recently returned from a visit to his native land, I asked him to give me an account of his experience there.  I give it below to the readers of the Missionary.  W.C.  POND.

DEAR PASTOR:—­You asked me kindly to give you my experience during my visit in China.  I stayed home about ten months.  I had a very hard time there at first, because I have no Christian friends who live near enough to help me.  The temptations around me very great.  My father and my uncle wanted me to help in their store:  they had sacrifice-paper and candles for the offering of idols for sale.  This hurted my feeling very much.  I told them I was a Christian.  I could not help in that business, for I know it was against the law of the true God.  They laughed at me and said I was very foolish to believe such a doctrine.  I found it very difficult to enlighten their minds.

Two weeks after I got home was a birthday of my grandfather, who died many years ago.  My father set some sacrifices on the parlor table, before the ancestral tablet; he wanted me to bow down and worship with him, but I refused.  I told him while I honored my grandfather a great deal, yet I could not worship him.  The Christians only worship the one true God.  This made him very angry at me, he so angry that he did not take his breakfast that morning.  From this time on, my father was cross to me very often, he called me a man without conscience.  I did not mind about that, for I knew he loved me in his heart.  He had not learned what Christianity was.  I tried to please him all I could.  When he scolded me I answered him softly.  I prayed for him and for all my relatives every day.  I asked the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to them, that they might prove what was good.  Two or three months afterward, I found my father and relatives changed a great deal.  They seemed to like Christianity more than they did.

Sometimes I showed them some things which they never saw before, such as photograph album, Holy Bible, book of mission stories with many pictures in it.  I explained the pictures to them and they were all pleased.  I also told them that these good books were presented by my kind teachers.  I gave the names of these faithful workers of the Lord and said they were the best friends of the Chinese, the reason was that they love Jesus.  I then went on and told them about the true God, and his blessed Son Jesus, who love the whole world.  They all kept quiet and listen attentively.  Besides these, I show them my coal-oil stove, alarm clock, thermometer, etc.  These things greatly pleased them.  I told them the wonderful arts, the machineries, railways and the telegraphs.