History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the Presbyterial Order at Amoy, ChinaTalmage, John Van Nest
Religion
History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the Presbyterial Order at Amoy, China
Talmage, John Van Nest
Missions -- China; Presbyterian Church -- Missions
The Board of Foreign Missions, being simply the organ of Synod, felt
bound in their Report to eliminate, as far as possible, all the
Presbyterian elements from the above Reports of the Mission. By so
doing, we think that they, _undesignedly_ of course, keep our Church in
ignorance, not only of the absolute unity of the Churches in the region
of Amoy, but also of the real progress of the cause of Christ and of the
Church of our order there. Among the members set down to our churches
are those who belong to stations under the care of the English
Presbyterian Mission, as is shown by the Tabular Views. The Church at
home, not aware of this fact, gives to their Mission credit which does
not belong to them; and then, when, in the progress of the work, new
churches are organized at these stations, and these members are set off
to them, because they belong there, the Dutch Mission is charged with
deficiency of denominational feeling, in giving to the English
Presbyterians that which, "by all rules of Christian courtesy and
harmonious Missionary action," belongs to the Dutch Church. Is it well
that we should be disputing among ourselves concerning who shall have
that credit which all belongs to Christ? I know it has been asked, with
disapprobation, by very high authority (not, indeed, by the Board)
concerning the unity of the Churches at Amoy--"_how it came to exist at
all_." In answer to such questions, let us consider one case, that of
the Station, now Church, at E-mng-kang. It is near enough to the First
Church, at Amoy, to be under its supervision. Doubtless, we might have
said to our Presbyterian brethren, In gathering a church, we are willing
to labor with you in preaching the Gospel, for no one will censure us
for that, and we admit that, by all principles of our Church order, it
would be altogether proper that the converts gathered in at E-mng-kang
should be received and watched over by the First Church, at Amoy; but,
by allowing this, there will be danger of unity between the Christians
at E-mng-kang and Amoy ("that they all may be one"), which will be a
violation of the important and radical distinction existing between
them, because "some are supported by our funds, some by the funds of the
English Presbyterians;" and then, when it becomes necessary to divide
these Churches, for where there is such a radical distinction, "a
division will necessarily come at some period, and the longer it is
delayed, the more trying and sorrowful it will be," it will be found
that the Church at Amoy can never "relinquish its powers and abnegate
its authority" over the Church at E-mng-kang--therefore, rather than
incur such risks of unity, we had better violate our principles of
Church order at the commencement, and not allow the native Elders any
responsibility in receiving and watching over the Church members. We
might have acted on such principles, but shall we be _censured_ for not
doing it?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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