have had it published,
our suggestion was a sufficient warrant for its publication. The
responsibility would have been ours. It had not yet become a Synodical
matter. Afterwards it would have been a legitimate question for the
Synod to decide whether they would entertain a paper coming before them
in such a manner. This question might well have been left to General
Synod. _Thirdly._ A short time previous to the writing of that paper,
unless our memory is greatly at fault, a communication was received from
the Arcot Mission (or Classis of Arcot), addressed to General Synod,
which was thus published, according to the request of the Arcot
brethren, and without the authority of Synod.

"Our position is a somewhat painful one. We desire to give offense to no
one, and we do not wish to appear before the Church as disputants. We
have no controversy with any. We have neither the time nor inclination
for controversy. We are 'doing a great work' and cannot 'come down.'
Yet, our duty to these Churches here, and to the Church at home, and to
our Master, demands of us imperatively, that we state fully and frankly
our views. We have the utmost confidence in our Church. We have proved
this by endeavoring to get our views fully known. And we feel grateful
for the spirit of kindness towards us manifested in the action of Synod,
and also in the letters received from fathers and brethren in the
ministry, notwithstanding their misconception of our views. But, we have
also learned, how easily our views may be mistaken. In our paper,
addressed to General Synod, when discussing the difficulties in the way
of the Synod's jurisdiction over churches so far removed in time,
distance, and circumstances, we remarked:--'Will written correspondence
supply the place of representation? It would place our Classis under
great disadvantages. There must usually be a delay of one or two years
on every subject on which there is need of a decision by either Synod.
If anything is not understood, or is misunderstood, in our
communications, there will be no one to explain for us. Difficulties of
this kind, from want of knowledge of the civil and social circumstances
of this people may frequently occur. Could we have representatives from
among us, they could usually be easily explained; but without this
representation, they can only be explained by a long correspondence,
which may cause years of delay.' The whole of this misunderstanding,
which has arisen out of