nd others growing up, not yet organized; two native Pastors, who were
to have been ordained on the 29th of March last, and the whole under the
care of a Classis composed of the Missionaries of our Church and the
English Presbyterian Church, and representative Elders of the several
churches. It calls for our hearty gratitude to the Great Head of the
Church, that the Missionaries of different Churches, and different
countries, have been enabled, through Divine grace, to work together in
such harmony. It is also gratifying to us that these Churches and this
Classis have been organized according to the polity of our Church.
Inasmuch as the Synod of the English Presbyterian Church has approved of
the course of their Missionaries in uniting with ours in the
organization of the Church at Amoy, after our order, therefore, this
Synod would direct its Board of Foreign Missions to allow their
Missionaries to continue their present relations with the Missionaries
of the English Presbyterian Church, and the churches under their several
care, so long as the present harmony shall continue, and no departure
shall be made from the doctrines and essential polity of our Church, or
until this Synod shall otherwise direct.

Some, after reading the foregoing discussion, will be ready to say to
us: "Your views are in the main correct. It would have been better if
Synod had decided otherwise, but the decision has been made, and we must
put up with it." We answer, Not so. We must obey Synod, but may not the
Church change or improve her decisions? Here is one of the good things
we hope to see come out of this mistake of the Church. Jesus rules, and
he is ordering all things for the welfare of his Church and the
advancement of his cause. Sometimes, the better to accomplish this end,
he permits the Church to make mistakes. When we failed in former days to
get our views made public, it gave us no anxiety, for we believed the
doctrine that Jesus reigns. So we now feel, nothwithstanding this
mistake. The Master will overrule it for good. We do not certainly know
how, but we can imagine one way. By means of this mistake the matter may
be brought before our Church, and before other Churches, more clearly
than it would otherwise have been for many years to come, and in
consequence of this we expect, in due time, that our Church, instead of
coming up merely to the standard of liberality for which we have been
contending, will rise far above anything we ha