History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the Presbyterial Order at Amoy, China

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History and Ecclesiastical
Relations of the Churches of the
Presbyterial Order at Amoy,
China

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Title: History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the
Presbyterial Order at Amoy, China
Author: J. V. N. Talmage
Release Date: November 4, 2005 [EBook #17002]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS ***

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HISTORY
AND
ECCLESIASTICAL RELATIONS
OF THE
CHURCHES OF THE PRESBYTERIAL ORDER,
AT
AMOY, CHINA.
BY
REV. J.V.N. TALMAGE,
MISSIONARY OF THE PROT. REF. DUTCH CHURCH.
New York: WYNKOOP, HALLENBECK & THOMAS, PRINTERS,
113 FULTON ST. 1863.

PREFACE.
_To the Ministers, Elders, and Members of the Reformed Dutch
Church_:
It is proper that I give some reasons for the publication of this paper.
The importance of the subject of the ecclesiastical organization of the

churches gathered in heathen lands, I conceive to be a sufficient reason.
Those who may differ in regard to the views set forth in this paper, will
not dispute the importance of the subject. Instead of the questions
involved having been settled by any of the Presbyterian Denominations
of this country (the Dutch Church included among them), by
experiments in India or any other heathen land, very few of the
churches gathered from the heathen, by these various Denominations,
have yet arrived at a stage of development sufficient for practical
application of the experiment. (See foot-note, page 160.) There are,
however, a few mission churches, where the subject is now becoming
one of vast practical importance. The Church at Amoy stands out
prominent among these. With the continuance of the divine blessing
there will soon be many such. Hence the importance of the discussion,
and its importance now.
Many experiments have been made in reference to the best way of
conducting the work of missions. The Church has improved by them,
and has been compelled to unlearn many things. We are continually
returning towards the simple plan laid down in God's Word. As the
Church by experiment and by discussion has thus been led to retrace
some of her steps in the preliminary work of missions, should she not
be ready to take advantage of experiment and discussion, in reference
to the ecclesiastical organization of the mission churches, and stand
ready to retrace some of her steps in this second stage of the work of
missions, if need be, in order to conform more fully to the doctrines of
our Presbyterial church polity? I would use the phrase Scriptural
church polity, but I suppose it is the universal belief of our Church, that
Presbyterial polity is scriptural. At any rate, it is the duty of the Church
to examine the subject carefully. She has nothing to fear from such
examination. She should fear to neglect it.
In addition to the importance of the subject in itself considered, I have
other reasons for discussing it at the present time. There are mistaken
impressions abroad in the Church, concerning the views and course of
your missionaries at Amoy, which must be injurious to the cause of
missions in our Church. It would seem to be a plain duty to correct
these impressions. I will quote an extract from a letter, I recently

received, from an honored missionary of a sister Church:
"I have heard much, and seen some notices in the papers of the battle
you fought on the floor of Synod, and would like to hear your side of
the subject from your own mouth, as the question has also been a
practical one with us. * * * * * We have our own Presbytery, and
manage our own business, and insist on not having too much of what
they call the new science of Missionary management; a science which,
I believe, has been cultivated far too assiduously. It was this, more than
anything else, which kept me from going out under the A.B.C.F.M.,
and to Amoy. * * * * * I hear, however, from some, that what you and
the brethren there had formed, was some sort of loose Congregational
association. If so, I must judge against you, for I believe in the jure
divino of Presbytery (or Classis if you choose so to call it), and I think
you and they