Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh Part 34

Upon the cross They nailed his body, Where he shed his precious blood To save all mankind.

Three days after his death He rose from the dead, And during forty days He discoursed on heavenly things.

When he was about to ascend, He commanded his disciples To communicate his gospel And proclaim his revealed will.

Those who believe will be saved And ascend to heaven; But those who do not believe Will be the first to be condemned.

Throughout the whole world There is only one G.o.d, The Great Lord and Ruler Without a second.

The Chinese in early ages Were regarded by G.o.d; Together with the foreign states They walked in one way.

From the time of Pwan-koo,[88]

Down to the three dynasties,[89]

They honoured G.o.d, As history records.

T'hang of the Shang dynasty,[90]

And Wan of the Chow,[91]

Honoured G.o.d With the intensest feeling.

The inscription on T'hang's bathing-tub Inculcated daily renovation of mind; And G.o.d commanded him To a.s.sume the government of the empire.

Wan was very respectful And intelligently served G.o.d; So that the people who submitted to him Were two out of every three.

When Tsin obtained the empire[92]

He was infatuated with the genii, And the nation has been deluded by the devil For the last two thousand years.

Suen and Woo of the Han dynasty[93]

Both followed this bad example, So that the mad rebellion increased In imitation of Tsin's misrule.

When Woo arrived at old age, He repented of his folly, And lamented that from his youth up He had always followed the wrong road.

Ming of the Han dynasty[94]

Welcomed the inst.i.tutions of Buddha, And set up temples and monasteries To the great injury of the country.

But Hw.a.n.g of the Sung dynasty Was still more mad and infatuated, For he changed the name of Shang-te (G.o.d) Into that of Yuh-hw.a.n.g (the pearly emperor).[95]

But the Great G.o.d Is the supreme Lord Over all the world, The Great Father in heaven.

His name is most honourable, To be handed down through distant ages; Who was this Hwuy, That he dared to alter it?

It was meet that this same Hwuy Should be taken by the Tartars, And together with his son Perish in the northern desert.

From Hwuy of the Sung dynasty Up to the present day, For these seven hundred years Men have sunk deeper and deeper in error.

With the doctrine of G.o.d They have not been acquainted, While the king of Hades Has deluded them to the utmost.

The Great G.o.d displays Liberality deep as the sea; But the devil has injured man In a most outrageous manner.

G.o.d is therefore displeased And has sent his Son[96]

With orders to come down into the world Having first studied the cla.s.sics.

In the Ting-yeu year (1837) He was received up into Heaven, Where the affairs of Heaven Were clearly pointed out to him.

The great G.o.d Personally instructed him, Gave him odes and doc.u.ments, And communicated to him the true doctrine.

G.o.d also gave him a seal, And conferred upon him a sword Connected with authority And majesty irresistible.

He bade him, together with the elder brother, Namely Jesus, To drive away impish fiends With the co-oporation of angels.

There was one who looked on with envy, Namely, the king of Hades, Who displayed much malignity And acted like a devilish serpent.

But the great G.o.d, With a high hand, Instructed his Son To subdue this fiend,

And having conquered him, To show him no favour; And in spite of his envious eye He damped all his courage.

Having overcome the fiend, He returned to Heaven, Where the great G.o.d Gave him great authority.

The celestial mother was kind And exceedingly gracious, Beautiful and n.o.ble in the extreme, Far beyond all compare.

The celestial elder brother's wife Was virtuous and very considerate, Constantly exhorting the elder brother To do things deliberately.

The great G.o.d, Out of love to mankind, Again commissioned his Son To come down into the world.

And when he sent him down, He charged him not to be afraid; I am with you, said he, To superintend everything.

In the Mow-s.h.i.+n year (1848) The Son was troubled and distressed, When the great G.o.d Appeared on his behalf.

Bringing Jesus with him, They both came down into the world, Where he instructed his Son How to sustain the weight of government.

G.o.d has set up his Son To endure for ever, To defeat corrupt machinations And to display majesty and authority.

Also to judge the world, To divide the righteous from the wicked, And consign them to the misery of h.e.l.l, Or bestow on them the joys of heaven.

Heaven manages everything, Heaven sustains the whole; Let all beneath the sky Come and acknowledge the new monarch.

Little children, Wors.h.i.+p G.o.d, Keep his commandments, And do not disobey.

Let your minds be refined, And be not depraved, The great G.o.d Constantly surveys you.

You must refine yourselves well, And not be depraved: Vice willingly practised Is the first step to misery.

To insure a good end, You must make a good beginning: An error of a hair's breadth May lead to a discrepancy of a thousand li.

Be careful about little things, And watch the minute springs of action: The great G.o.d Is not to be deceived.