Page 12 - incense-bearers of han

Mr. Wang had passed this same door innumerable times before and had seen the
three bold characters, “Yesu T‟ang” (Jesus Hall), inscribed over the entrance, but had
disdained to enter a place where his mercenary fellow countrymen were employed by
the “men from the ocean” to preach some strange foreign doctrine, he knew not what.

On this occasion, seeking relief from the boredom of the languid village, his feet
were arrested as the sounds of melody issuing from the inner temple lighted upon his
ears. The melody was somewhat discordant to be sure, but differed in quality from

that of the tea-shop songsters sufficiently to intrigue his imagination. What could they
mean by those strange words?

Precious Name, Oh, how sweet,

Hope of earth and joy of Heaven.

He finally yielded to the inclination to go in and try and discover what it was all
about.

Just as he took his seat on one of the backless benches in the rear of the hall, the
singing came to an end and a clean-cut looking young man stood up and opened a
book and commenced to read. The reading was in the colloquial style of writing, for

which the classically trained Mr. Wang felt a contempt as being beneath the literary
dignity of the scholar, but he found himself listening in spite of it. The story seemed to
be about some Man who was led out to be crucified, and of two others who were
crucified with Him.

The reading soon ceased and the young man with eloquent earnestness began to
tell in his own words the story. He elucidated how this Righteous One, Yesu,” had
been led out to be crucified and that there were two robbers executed at the same time.

“Oh, they were robbers,” thought Mr. Wang, “I never got that the first time.”

Then the young man showed how one scoffed at Him and railed upon Him and was
consigned as a result to eternal perdition, while the other by a simple act of faith had

called upon Him and was promised an immediate entrance into Paradise. He went on
to extol the grace of God in Christ which extended to a robber and murderer full
forgiveness and Paradise happiness on the sole condition of faith in this crucified
“Yesu,” and calling upon His Name. Works were definitely excluded since both His

hands and his feet were nailed up!

4