nciple. If the Classes at Arcot
and Amoy are to be considered _integral_ parts of the Church in this
country, related to General Synod like the Classes in this country, then
the Missionaries at those stations properly should come under the Board
of Domestic Missions. Suppose, according to the new plan, the
Missionaries form themselves into the kind of Classis now required of
them; what will be the relation of the Classis of Amoy to the Board of
Foreign Missions? Is the Classis, in evangelizing the heathen around, to
operate through the Board, or the Board through the Classis? The Classis
at Amoy decide on a certain course of ecclesiastical procedure, or
evangelistic labor, and the Board decides on another course; how is such
a matter to be settled? Will it be said, there is no danger of such
difficulty? The Classis and Board will both be composed of men with
infirmities. Ask the Board whether there have not already been incipient
difficulties, in the supposed clashing of the powers of the Board and
the powers of the Classis of Arcot. But the Classis of Arcot as yet is
little more than an _American Missionary Classis_. What will be the
difficulties when it becomes an _Indian_ Classis? But we are told, "keep
the Mission and Classis distinct." Is the Mission, then, to attend to
all the evangelistic work, and the Classis to do nothing? Or are there
to be two distinct evangelistic policies carried on at Amoy, the one by
the Mission, and the other by the Classis? Or is the Classis first to
come over to the Synod, and so get to the Board in order to carry on the
work around? Instead of this new plan being the settled policy of our
Church, we believe it to be a solecism. When a Church is established
among the heathen after our order, then is the true policy of our Church
carried out. Let the present relations of the Missionaries to the Board
and to their several Classes remain, and there will be no occasion for
the clashing of the powers of the Board with those of any
ecclesiastical body.

So much for the _advantages_. They are really disadvantages, leading to
_serious evils_, which of themselves should be sufficient to deter the
Church from inaugurating the policy proposed, or, if it be already
inaugurated, to lead her to retrace her steps, and adopt a better and a
consistent policy.

Now let us consider the real or supposed _Evils_ (in addition to the
above) of carrying out the decision of Synod.

1. It will not be for the