15 郑氏家族和他们的祖先石碑。

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郑氏家族和他们的祖先石碑。
作者：R. W. MIDDWTON R. W. MIDDWTON of MEI HSIUN, SHEN-SI. Come Christians. He prescribed a appeared to rally
他的祖先牌位是最后一个偶像崇拜的遗迹。
*- 他的祖先的牌位是最后一个偶像崇拜的遗物，也是陈氏家族放弃的。该家族
该家族目前约有40名成员。家长开始时是一个农场工人，但他来参加会议。
自己的小房子。四个儿子都是好
稳重的人。其中一个在
他们最终买了一座自己的窑，这是他们繁荣的起点。由此，他们迅速赚钱，建造了一座漂亮的房子，并买下了大约300英亩的土地。
买下了约300英亩的土地，由其他兄弟耕种。现在，他们是村里的主要家庭之一。下一代中
下一代人中，有两个
中的
的儿子们已经取得了
他们的学位，并在
他们在该地区的贵族中占有一席之地。这个家族开始对福音感兴趣。
对福音感兴趣
大约七年前，通过其中一个儿子的妻子
的妻子，她来自另一个村庄，在那里她从一些基督徒亲戚那里听到了福音。
她来自另一个村庄，在那里她从一些基督徒亲戚那里听到了福音。但她没有提到她对福音的认识
直到她的一个侄子
病了，尽管
他们已经尝试了所有
虽然他们试过所有他们知道的本地医生
尽管他们尝试了所有他们知道的本地医生，但似乎没有什么能对他有好处。在他们的痛苦中，这个女孩告诉他们福音堂的情况，以及传教士是如何给他们提供药物的。
女孩告诉他们福音堂的情况，以及传教士如何给她的一些人提供药物。于是他们来问我们是否能为这个男孩做些什么，同时说如果我们能做到，他们会请布道士来看看这个病例；从那时起，这个男孩、母亲和姑姑在12个月后去世了，当时唯一幸存的兄弟也去世了，让患病男孩的父亲负责整个事务，而嫂子和她的儿子很快反对。从那时起，嫂子不仅不再参加聚会，而且成了她哥哥和妹妹的劲敌和迫害者，因为他们离开了祖先，信奉了外国宗教。这名老卒
五十岁时有了这个习惯。妻子在1900年受洗，就在我们逃命前的一两个月，有一段时间，基督徒们每天都在期待着他们的结局。然后，这个可怜的男人和他的妻子不得不站出来对抗他自己的儿子、侄子和妹妹。
但是，在每天之前，或在新的和完整的}J r Ll，wllO USed访问基督徒和keptthem一起，当我们离开时，他们站在坚定的鼓励iiriK - J。 后来，嫂子和她的家人不停地折磨他们，以至于他们再也无法忍受，于是同意分居，他和他的五个孩子分得了他们的家和财产，并7ESTRAL TABLET。
中国的数百万。
其他人则是他们的。由于他是四人中最小的儿子
由于他是四人中最年轻的儿子，祖先的牌位自然而然地由另一方继承。
这让他很自由。于是，他把家里的所有偶像崇拜的痕迹都清理了一遍
并决定从今以后他和他的家人都要侍奉主。我们回来时
1902年，我们听说了这个人和他的妻子的生活方式，这让我们很受鼓舞。
这个人和他的妻子是如何经受住考验的。12个月后，他和他的长子（一个有学位的学者）受洗加入教会。从此
这时，他们所做的一切似乎都很顺利。嫂子虽然仍然坚持她的偶像崇拜，但也不禁看到了其中的差别。她的一些儿子吸食鸦片和赌博，似乎变得越来越坏，直到最后她不得不承认，尽管她的兄弟和他的家人忽视了他们的祖先和偶像，但他们仍然很兴旺，而她越是认真地向偶像祈祷，他们就越是崇拜。因此，过了一段时间，她开始邀请她的妹妹到她这边来，并允许她说话，教她一些赞美诗。她也开始重新参加礼拜，并为她的儿子们祈祷，希望他们能够放弃恶行，相信福音。大约八个月前，我们正在举行洗礼，这位年过六旬的老太太要求接受洗礼。我问她祖先的牌位怎么办（她已经把家里的神位拿下来了），她又说她很愿意放弃，尽管她的儿子是家里的另一个学者，不允许她把牌位拿下来。因此，就因为这个原因，我们推迟了接受她加入团契的时间，整个教会开始为儿子祈祷。此后一段时间，儿子开始来参加聚会，就在我们离开休假前，他邀请我们去他家，并把祖先的牌位和其他一些古老的遗物送给我们。在接下来的周日，我们有幸为这对母子举行了洗礼。另外两个儿子已经戒掉了鸦片的习惯，并显示出生活改变的迹象。



The Ch'eng Family and Their Ancestral Tablet.
BY MR. R. W. MIDDWTON OF MEI HSIUN, SHEN-SI. come Christians. he prescribed a appeared to rally
' I ""HIS ancestral tablet is the last relic of idol-worship
*• which the family of Ch'eng parted with. The
family has a present membership of about forty. The head of the family started life as a farm laborer, but gan to come to the meeting.' by plodding on he at last saved enough mom
small house of his own. The four sons were good
steady men. One served
his time at a brick-kiln, and they eventually bought a kiln of their own which was the start- ing point in their prosperity. From this they made money rapidly, built a fine house and
bought up about three hundred acres of land which the other brothers worked. Now they are one of the leading families in their village. Of
the next generation two
of
v the sons have taken
their degrees, and take
their places with the gentry of the district. The family became
interested in the Gospel
about seven years ago, through the wife of one
of the sons who came
from another village where she had heard the Oospel from some Christian relatives. But she made no mention of her knowledge of the Gospel
until one of her nephews
became ill, and although
they had tried all the
native doctors they knew
of, nothing seemed to do him any good. In the midst of their distress the
girl told them of the Gospel-hall and how the missionaries had given medicine to some of her people. So they came and asked us if we could do anything for the boy, saying at the same time that if we could they would beBvangelist I,i to see the case; nd from that time the boy.ther and mother and aunt be-elve months later, whenthe only surviving brother died, leaving the fatherof the sick boy responsible for the whole business, which the sister-in-law and her sonssoon objected to. Fromthattime the sister-in-lawnot only left off attendingthe meetings, but becameher brother and sister'sbitterest enemy and per-secutor for having lefttheir ancestors and fol-lowed a foreign religion.This, however, seemedonly to make them moredetermined than ever tofollow Christ. The oldbroke
fiftyhadff the habit. Thewife was baptized in 1900,only a month or two before we were fleeing forour lives, and for sometime the Christians weredaily expecting to meettheir end. Then it wasthat this poor man andhis wife had to stand outagainst his .own sons,nephews and sister-inl!.. t«°on
ancestral nfmes ' w rittofon'asU '^ot lavv - But encouraged byiiriK-J before it daily, or at the new and full }J r Ll, wllO USed to visitthe Christians and keptthem together while we were away, they stood firm.Then it was that the sister-in-law and her family plaguedthem so unceasingly that they could stand it no longer,and so agreed to separate, he and his family of fiveboys taking their share of the home and property, and7ESTRAL TABLET.
CHINA ' S MILLIONS.
the others theirs. As he was the youngest son of the
four, the ancestral tablet naturally went with the other
side, which left him quite free. So lie cleansed his house
of every vestige of idolatry, and decided that from henceforth he and his should serve the Lord. On our return
1902, we were quite encouraged by what we heard of
e way this man and his wife had stood the test. Twelve months later he and his eldest son (a scholar good degree) were baptized into the church. From
this time everything they did seemed to prosper. Thesister-in-law, while still persistent in her idolatry, could nothelp seeing the difference. Some of her sons were opiumsmokers and gamblers and seemed to be going from badtoworse, until at last she had to admit, although her brotherand his family neglected their ancestors andidols, the\- still prospered, while the moreearnestly she prayed to the idols, the worsethings became. So after a while she startedinviting her sister over to her side of thehouse, and would allow her to speak andteach her some hymns. She also begantoattend the services again, and asked prayerfor her sons, that they might be led to giveup their evil ways and believe the Gospel.About eight months ago we were having baptisms, and this old lady, over sixty years ofage, asked that she might be baptized. I askedher what about the ancestral tablet (she hadal-ready taken down her house gods), and she re-plied that she was quite willing to give it up,though her son who was the other scholar ofthe family would not allow her to take it down.So on that account we delayed receiving herinto fellowship, and the whole church begantopray for the son. Some time after this the sonbegan to come to the services, and just beforewe left for furlough he invited us to his home,and presented us with the ancestral tablet and a few otherold relics. Thefollowing Sunday we had the joy of baptizingthe mother and son. Two other sons have broken off theopium habit, and are showing signs of a changed life.