Forty Years in South China: The Life of Rev. John Van Nest Talmage, D.D.Fagg, John Gerardus
Religion
Forty Years in South China: The Life of Rev. John Van Nest Talmage, D.D.
Fagg, John Gerardus
Missions -- China; Talmage, John Van Nest, 1819-1892
The peculiar relationship of the missionaries to Tai-hoey, viz., having
full membership, without being subject to discipline by that body,--is
temporary, arising from the circumstances of this infant church, and rests
on the will of Tai-hoey. This relationship has never been discussed, or
even suggested for discussion in that body, so that our view of what is, or
would be, the opinion of Tai-hoey on the subject we gather from the whole
character of the working of that body from its first formation, and from
the whole spirit manifested by the native members. Never till last year
has there been a case of discipline even of a native member of Tai-hoey.
We do not know that the thought that occasion may also arise for the
discipline of missionaries, has ever suggested itself to any of the native
members. If it has, we have no doubt they have taken for granted that the
discipline of missionaries belongs to the churches which have sent them
here. But we also have no doubt that Tai-hoey would exercise the right of
refusing membership to any missionary if necessary.
It is suggested as an objection to the plan that has been adopted by the
missionaries at Amoy, that "where two Presbyteries have jurisdiction over
one man, it may not be always easy to define the line where the
jurisdiction of the one ends and the other begins; and for the foreign
Presbyter to have a control over the native Presbyter which the native
cannot reciprocate, would be anomalous, and contrary to that view of the
parity of Presbyters which the Scriptures present."
From our last paragraph above it will be seen that the "line" of
demarcation alluded to in the first half of the above objection has
certainly never yet been defined by Tai-hoey, but it will be seen likewise
that we have no apprehension of any practical difficulty in the matter.
The last half of the objection looks more serious, for if our plan really
involves a violation of the doctrine of the parity of the ministry, this is
a very serious objection--fatal, indeed, unless perhaps the temporary
character of the arrangement might give some sufferance to it in a
developing church. It does not, however in our opinion, involve any such
doctrine. It does not touch that doctrine at all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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