Answer. No; except that their relation to Tai-hoey may be severed by that
body.
3. "Is it not likely that the sooner the native churches become
self-governing, the sooner they will be self-supporting and
self-propagating?"
Answer. Yes. It would be a great misfortune for the native churches to be
governed by the missionaries, or by the home churches. We think also it
would be a great misfortune for the missionary to refuse all connection
with the government of the mission churches while they are in whole or in
part dependent on him for instruction, administration of the ordinances,
and pastoral oversight. Self-support, self-government, and
self-propagation are intimately related, acting and reacting on each other,
and the native Church should be framed in them from the beginning of its
existence.
4. "Is it the opinion of missionaries at Amoy that the native Presbyters
are competent to manage the affairs of Presbytery, and could they safely be
left to do so?"
Answer. Yes; the native Presbyters seem to us to be fully competent to
manage the affairs of Presbytery, and we suppose it would be safe to leave
them to do this entirely by themselves, if the providence of God should so
direct. We think it much better, however, unless the providence of God
direct otherwise, that the missionaries continue their present relation to
the Tai-hoey until the native Church is farther developed.
5. "Is it likely that there can be but one Presbyterian Church in China?
or are differences of dialect, etc., such as to make different
organizations necessary and inevitable?"
Answer. All Presbyterians in China, as far as circumstances will allow,
should unite in one Church organization. By all means avoid a plurality of
Presbyterian denominations in the same locality. But differences of
dialect and distance of separation seem at present to forbid the formation
of one Presbyterian organization for the whole of China. Even though in
process of time these difficulties be greatly overcome, It would seem that
the vast number of the people will continue to render such formation
impracticable, except on some such principle as that on which is formed the
Pan-Presbyterian Council. One Presbyterian Church for China would be very