any remunerating advantages. But before we proceed
to the discussion of this subject, a few other preliminaries demand some
attention.

The English Presbyterians, as they are accustomed to speak of all the
Classes of our Church in America, call this Classis at Amoy "_a
Presbytery_." Hence the question has been put to us with all sincerity
and gravity, "Is it a _Classis_, or is it a _Presbytery_?" Some seem to
be afraid that the Church we are forming will be half Dutch and half
Presbyterian, and that it will soon be swallowed up by the
Presbyterians! Are there any ministers, or elders, or intelligent
members of the Dutch Church, who have yet to learn that a Classis is a
Presbytery, and that the Dutch Church is a Presbyterian Church? Surely
not. Why, then, such questions and suggestions? Can they be designed to
prejudice the Church at home against the ecclesiastical body which has
grown up at Amoy? We will not impute such a motive, and, therefore, I
merely say that we are surprised at all such remarks. It is proper for
the English Presbyterian brethren to speak of the _Presbytery_ at Amoy.
They never speak of it as an _English_ Presbytery. They do not regard it
as a part of the Church in England, but as a purely Chinese Church. They
have liberality enough to assist in building up such a Church, even
though it has some things peculiar to us, for it has all the essentials
of their own order. Will it not seem to them that our Church is
deficient in liberality, when they learn the decision of the last Synod?

In connection with this subject, it is proper to speak more particularly
of the liberality of the English Presbyterian Church. When it is
remembered that that Church is really a branch of the Free Church of
Scotland, it will not be supposed that their liberality is the result of
indifference to anything which they regard essential or important.
Seldom has our world witnessed such sacrifice for the sake of principle
as was exhibited by that Church, when she came out from the
Establishment. Their liberality is a beautiful illustration of the
Christian spirit. The course of their Missionaries at the first
organization of a church at Amoy, and the approval thereof, have been
already alluded to. In consequence of the recent formation of a Classis,
the subject naturally came up again this year. It was laid before their
Synod, which met a few weeks previous to ours. In the report of their
Foreign Committee, which corresponds t