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218 (26) THE EABNEST CHBISTIAN
Tke Foreign Field
The Search of a Heathen for God
The following, from The Interior, but while here my chief thoiight was. still
is a fi'ee translation of a letter written
by a Chinese Christian telling
for spiritual instruction. One of my associates
was a devout Taoist. He gave
much time to the Taoistic classic, "Truth
of his long years of search for spiritual
rest:
dred times a day for the cultivation of
and Virtue," repeating It at least a hun­
his lilgber 'faculties with a view to immortality.
When I was about twelve years of age
I also studied this little clas­
I began to seek for truth to satisfy mj sic faithfully, and would not retire at
longing soul. In school I studied with night until I had repeated It the required
much interest the Confucian classic, number of times. I compared it with
"The Doctrine of the Mean." The following
the Buddhist teachings I had learned. I
especially interested me: "The pursued this course faithfully for about
expression of the will of heaven is nature,
and the guide of our moral nature
is truth; truth is found by searching and
a year, hoping to find the elixir of life,
but got little profit and found it unsatisfying.
by instmetion. Truth may not be forsaken
for a moment. That which can man Catholic, I talked -with him about
Another of my associates being a Bo­
be forsaken is not truth."
his faith, and went one day with nim to
I dwelt much upon these thoughts, saying
the cathedral in Pekin. I was here at
to myself: "Where is truth to be first favorably impressed and had an in­
found?" "Whence are all things?" and terview with the priest. In the course
"Why are they as they are?" "Man is of our conversation the priest said I must
hurrying to and fro, but what of all activity?
purchase a "Forgiveness Ticket." 1
Whither are we going? Man asked him at what price these tickets
searches earnestly for fame and wealth, were sold. He said there was no fixed
but soon leaves them even if he finds price; this would be determined by my
them. What of the future? Is there a sins and my ability to pay. This did
life to come?" I purposed to search to uot seem to me to be right, so I drew
the limit of my ability for light on these
problems.
back.
Later I went to the Llama temple and
I studied for about a year with a priest acquainted myself with their classics,
of the "White Forest Convent." This . which are similar to those of the Buddhists.
priest was kind to me, was faithful in
I studied their systems of puri­
his devotions, and tried to explain to me
the doctrine—his "logos"—as well as he
fication, their efforts employed in order
to become immortals, their writing of
could. He offered me a good position charms, exorcism, repetition of incantations,
in the temple if I 'would continue with
and so forth. There was much
him, but my heart was not satisfied. I darlmess and confusion here, and no
gave careful heed to all that pertains to clear and satisfying truth such as I was
monastic life, made myself thoroughly looking for.
familiar with the Buddhistic classics designed
to perfect the soul of man. Among the-street and met a coljwrteur, and-
One day in 1900 I was out walking on
these classics are the "Diamond Classic,"
the "Goddess of Mercy Classic" and John, paying about half a cent for the
bought a copy of the gospels, Mark and
others; but I wanted more truth than two. I read these daily, greatly to my
was here contained.
delight How different the thought here
When about fifteen years old I entered
a shop to study watch-mending.
from what I had been studying! In the
prayerful study of these gospels I felt