ABSTRACT
THIS chapter and the next will be devoted to the consideration of the opinions the Ohinese hold respecting God. Intelligent men among them, who have become familiar with Christianity, say that the ancient Chinese were undoubtedly more religious than the modern. The frequent mention of God, under the denomination Shang-te, in the earliest books of the nation, may be regarded as a proof of this. I remember a Chinese, of fine intellectual appearancc, having made this statement. It was not to be wondered at, he said, that the ancients, being much nearer thetime of A.dam, should be more imbued with the spirit of piety towards God, than men belonging to modern days, when tradition has become obscured bytime, The further back we went in time, he observed, the more near to coincidence would the traditions of his nation be with ours. Our Chinese friend was reminded .that the first princes of his .country were said, in the ancient books, to have worshipped not God only, but also the spirits of mountains, and rivers, and of other parts of nature. Their religion, then, could not be regarded as the same with ours, because they offered sacrifices to other beings beside God. But these spirits, he replied, are the same that are called angels in your Bible. .
