Invitation from an American Missionary   1846

Upon the reception of this invitation,  Xiuquan, taking with him his friend Hung-Jin, went to Canton, and presented himself before the American missionary. Rev. I. J. Roberts.He was then about thirty-four years of age ; was five feet five inches in height ; and in person was muscular, broad-shouldered,Presenting, on his introduction to Mr. Roberts, a detailed account, in writing, of his life and visions, he was received into good fellowship, and introduced to a number of persons more or less connected with the mission.

The native assistants were directed to explain to him the Word of God more thoroughly; and, at the end of a month, two of them went with him on an excursion to Hwa-hien, where they spent a few days in preaching the Gospel to his friends and followers. After his return to Canton, he remained still another month sitting at the feet of his instructors in Christianity, and making rapid progress in mastering the ideas of a new and higher civilization.

Return to Thistle Mountain

Though utterly destitute of the means of traveling, this circumstance did not prevent his resolving to make another visit to his converts in Kwang-si. Accordingly,  Xiuquan soon reached Valley- home, but learning there that his friend, Yun-san, was then successfully preaching in Thistle-mount, he immediately went thither to see him. The meeting between the two friends was a happy one ; and  Xiuquan was delighted to find a congregation of God-worshipers, already numbering upwards of one thousand souls.

The Christian Practice on Thistle Mountain

The mode of worship established at Thistle-mount borrowed most of its forms from Christianity, but still retained some of the practices of the old idolatry. The males and females of the congregation were seated apart from each other. In prayer, all knelt down facing the side of the house whence came the light, and remained, with closed eyes, while some one recited a petition in the name of the whole assembly. God was praised by the singing of a hymn, in which, however, there was but little melody beyond that in the heart.When converts were to be admitted into the congregation, the following were the usual ceremonies : Two burning lamps and three cups of tea were placed upon a table ; when a written confession of sins, together with the names of the neophytes, were read aloud, and this afterwards offered to God by being burned in the flame of the lamps.

The question was then asked of the applicants for admission into the congregation, if they promised, "Not to worship evil spirits, not to practice evil things, but to keep the heavenly commandments?" This answered in the affirmative, they knelt down, and the person officiating poured a cup of water over each one's head, saying, "Purification from all former sins, putting off the old, and regeneration."Even  Xiuquan, himself, had come only gradually to the total disuse of the religious forms and ceremonies in which he had been educated. At first, he had placed the name of God on the wall instead of that of Confucius, and had continued, for a time, the use of burnt paper and incense-sticks ; and when, afterwards, he removed the tablet, as too much as savoring of idolatry, his mother-in-law remarked that it was a pity to do so, because, since the name of God had been set up, they had good luck, and had added another field to their plantation. He was, therefore, tolerant of those comparatively harm- less customs of idolatry, which were, for a time, kept up by the weak in faith ; and contented him- self with bringing his followers, as he had been brought himself, gradually to comprehend the more spiritual nature of the new religion. As the members of the sect went on constantly increasing, its leader at length felt strong enough to make an attack on some of the principal idols of the temples in the vicinity of Thistle-mount.

 Begins Preaching

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 Defeat of the Kanyang Idol 1844