“The Committee are not prepared, however, to recommend that any violent or coercive resolutions should be adopted for the purpose of constraining our brethren in Amoy to a course of procedure which would rudely sever the brotherly ties that unite them with the Missionaries of the English Presbyterian Church.  But a Christian discretion will enable them, on the receipt of the decision of the present Synod in this matter, now under consideration, to take such initial steps as are necessary to the speedy formation of a classis.  Much must be left to their discretion, prudence, and judgment.  But of the wish and expectation of this Synod to have their action conform, as soon as may be, to the resolutions of 1857, your Committee think the brethren at Amoy should be distinctly informed.  They therefore offer the following: 

“1. Resolved, that the General Synod, having adopted and tested its plan of conducting Foreign Missions, can see no reason for abolishing it, but, on the contrary, believe it to be adapted to the promotion of the best interests of the Foreign Missionary Churches, and of the denomination supporting them.

“2.  That the Board of Foreign Missions be, and hereby is, instructed to send to our Missionaries a copy or copies of this report, as containing the well-considered deliverance of the Synod respecting their present relations and future duty.

“3.  That the Secretary of the Foreign Board be, and hereby is, directed to send to the Rev. Dr. Hamilton, of London, Convener of the Presbyterian Committee, a copy of this Report, with a copy of the action of 1857, and that he inform him by letter of the wishes and expectations of the Synod respecting the ecclesiastical relations which this body desires its churches in Amoy to sustain to it.”

The above is only an extract from the close of the Report of the Committee, and contains the result at which they arrived.  In reference to it we would make three remarks. (1).  It (Res. 3) seems rather a cavalier answer to the fraternal wish of the Synod of the English Presbyterian Church, as expressed in their action. (2.) The action of Synod is made to rest (Res. 1) on the fact that Synod had “tested” this “plan of conducting Foreign Missions.”  If this be so, and the plan had been found by experiment unobjectionable, the argument is not without force.  But how and where has this test been applied, and found so satisfactory?  Our Church has three Missions among the heathen:  one in India, one in China, and one in Japan.  Has it been tested in Japan?  No.  They have not yet a single native Church.  Has it been tested in China?  If so, the Missionaries were not aware of it.  The test applied there has been of an opposite character, and has been wonderfully successful.  The test has only been applied in India, and has only begun to be applied even there.  There, as yet, there is but one native pastor.  Their Classis is more American than Indian.  We must wait until they