again his Christian books; and alone, with no guide, he became a sincere believer in Christ, after a fashion of his own.  God was the Creator of all things, and the Supreme Father.  Jesus was the Elder Brother and heavenly Teacher of mankind.  Idolatry was to be overthrown, virtue to be practised.  Hung-sew-tseuen believed that the Bible confirmed his former visions.  He accepted his mission and began to make converts All his converts renounced idolatry, and gave up the worship of Confucius.  They travelled to and fro teaching, and formed a society of “God-worshippers.”  The first convert, Fung-yun-san, became its most ardent missionary and its disinterested preacher.  Hung-sew-tseuen returned home, went to Canton, and there met Mr. Roberts, an American missionary, who was induced by false charges to refuse him Christian baptism.  But he, without being offended with Mr. Roberts, went home and taught his converts how to baptize themselves.  The society of “God-worshippers” increased in number.  Some of them were arrested for destroying idols, and among them Fung-yun-san, who, however, on his way to prison, converted the policemen by his side.  These new converts set him at liberty and went away with him as his disciples.  Various striking phenomena occurred in this society.  Men fell into a state of ecstasy and delivered exhortations.  Sick persons were cured by the power of prayer.  The teachings of these ecstatics were tested by Scripture; if found to agree therewith, they were accepted; if not, rejected.

It was in October, 1850, that this religious movement assumed a political form.  A large body of persons, in a state of chronic rebellion against the Chinese authorities, had fled into the district, and joined the “God-worshippers.”  Pursued by the imperial soldiers, they were protected against them.  Hence war began.  The leaders of the religious movement found themselves compelled to choose between submission and resistance.  They resisted, and the great insurrection began.  But in China an insurrection against the dynasty is in the natural order of things.  Indeed, it may be said to be a part of the constitution.  By the Sacred Books, taught in all the schools and made a part of the examination papers, it is the duty of the people to overthrow any bad government.  The Chinese have no power to legislate, do not tax themselves, and the government is a pure autocracy.  But it is not a despotism; for old usages make a constitution, which the government must respect or be overthrown.  “The right to rebel,” says Mr. Meadows, “is in China a chief element of national stability.”  The Tae-ping (or Universal-Peace) Insurrection has shown its religious character throughout.  It has not been cruel, except in retaliation.  At the taking of Nan-king orders were given to put all the women together and protect them, and any one doing them an injury was punished with death.  Before the attack on Nan-king a large body of the insurgents knelt down and prayed, and then rose and fought, like