pposed advantage is the effect it will have in enlisting
the sympathies of the Church in behalf of the Mission at Amoy. It is
said, tell the Church that we have a flourishing Classis at Amoy, a part
of ourselves, connected with General Synod, just like all the other
Classes of our Church, the effect will be wonderful in enlisting
sympathy, money, and men in behalf of that Mission; otherwise the
opposite evil must be apprehended. If these things be so, they are
indeed of grave importance. The Mission in China cannot live without the
sympathy of the Church at home. But are these things so? It seems to us
that the supposition takes for granted that our Church in its Missionary
work is influenced by a desire for self-glory, or self-gratification;
or, at least, that she is not a Church of liberal views--that she is not
at all to be compared, in this respect, with the English Presbyterian
Church, or the Free Church of Scotland. Allusion has already been made
to the liberality of the English Presbyterian Church. I may now also
remark that a large amount of the funds for carrying on the work at Amoy
is raised in Scotland from members of the Free Church. They never had
any idea that the churches gathered in China were to be a part of their
own Church. They do not even ask that they be a part of their sister
Church in England. They only ask that they shall be sound in the faith
and hold to the essentials of Presbyterianism, even though they have
some characteristics peculiar to the Dutch and other Reformed Churches.
These Presbyterian brethren in England and Scotland are not only ready
to support their own Missionaries in their work of building up the
churches under their especial care, but they stand ready to assist the
Missionaries of our Church in building up the churches under our
especial care. Of their frequent offers to assist us, when they feared
we should be in want of funds, our Board can bear testimony. We are not
yet willing to believe that our people are a people of narrow views in a
matter like this. It is contrary to our history in time past. It is
contrary to the facts of the present day. It is contrary to all my
observation among our churches. Our people do not first ask whether it
be building _ourselves_ up, before they sympathize with a benevolent
object. We believe the contrary is the exact truth. It requires a
liberal policy to call forth liberal views and action. As regards the
enlisting of men, look at the fa