,,forty ,,years ,,in ,,south ,,china ,the ,life of ,rev4 ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage1 ,d4,d4 by ,rev4 ,john ,gerardus ,fagg ,missionary of the ,american ,reformed 7,dutch7 ,church1 at ,amoy1 ,china #ahid ,,introduction4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,t4 ,,de ,,witt ,,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,too near was ,i to the subject of this biography to write an impartial introduction4 ,when ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage went1 my last brother went4 ,stunned until ,i staggered through the corridors of the hotel in ,london1 ,england1 when the news came that ,john was dead4 ,if ,i should say all that ,i felt ,i would declare that since ,paul the great apostle to the ,gentiles1 a more faithful or consecrated man has not lifted his voice in the dark places of heathenism4 ,i said it while he was alive1 and might as well say it now that he is dead4 ,he was the hero of our family4 ,he did not go to a far-off land to preach because people in ,america did not want to hear him preach4 ,at the time of his first going to ,china he had a call to succeed ,rev4 ,dr4 ,brodhead1 of ,brooklyn1 the ,chrysostom of the ,american pulpit1 a call with a large salary1 and there would not have been anything impossible to him in the matters of religious work or ,christian achievement had he tarried in his native land4 ,but nothing could detain him from the work to which ,god called him years before he became a ,christian4 ,my reason for writing that anomalous statement is that when a boy in ,sabbath-school at ,boundbrook1 ,new ,jersey1 he read a ,library book1 entitled ,the ,life of ,henry ,martyn1 the ,missionary1 and he said to our mother1 ,mother6 when ,i grow up ,i am going to be a missionary6 ,the remark made no especial impression at the time4 ,years passed on before his conversion4 ,but when the grace of ,god appeared to him1 and he had begun his study for the ministry1 he said one day1 ,mother6 ,do you remember that many years ago ,i said1 ',i am going to be a missionary'8 ,she replied1 ,yes6 ,i remember you said so4 ,well1 said he1 ,i am going to keep my promise4 ,and how well he kept it millions of souls on earth and in heaven have long since heard4 ,but his chief work is yet to come4 ,we get our chronology so twisted that we come to believe that the white marble of the tomb is the mile-stone at which a good man stops1 when it is only a mile-stone on a journey1 the most of the miles of which are yet to be travelled4 ,the ,dictionary which my brother prepared with more than two decades of study1 the religious literature he transferred from ,english into ,chinese1 the hymns he wrote for others to sing1 although himself could not sing at all1 7he and ,i monopolizing the musical incapacity of a family in which all the rest could sing well71 the missionary stations he planted1 the life he lived1 will widen out1 and deepen and intensify through all time and all eternity4 ,i am glad that those competent to tell of his magnificent work have undertaken it4 ,you could get nothing about it from him at all4 ,ask him a question trying to evoke what he had done for ,god and the church1 and his lips were as tightly shut as though they had never been opened4 ,he was animated enough when drawn out in discussion religious1 educational1 or political1 but he had great powers of silence4 ,i once took him to see ,general ,grant1 our reticent ,president4 ,on that occasion they both seemed to do their best in the art of quietude4 ,the great military ,president with his closed lips on one side of me1 and my brother with his closed lips on the other side of me1 ,i felt there was more silence in the room than ,i ever before knew to be crowded into the same space4 ,it was the same kind of reticence that always came upon ,john when you asked him about his work4 ,but the story has been gloriously told in the heavens by those who through his instrumentality have already reached the ,city of ,raptures4 ,when the roll of martyrs is called before the ,throne of ,god1 the name of ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage will be called4 ,he worked himself to death in the cause of the world's evangelization4 ,his heart1 his brain1 his lungs1 his hands1 his muscles1 his nerves1 all wrought for others until heart and brain1 and lungs and hands1 and muscles and nerves could do no more4 ,he sleeps in the cemetery near ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey1 so near father and mother that he will face them when he rises in the ,resurrection of the ,just1 and amid a crowd of kindred now slumbering on the right of him1 and on the left of him1 he will feel the thrill of the ,trumpet that wakes the dead4 ,allelujah6 ,amen6 ,,brooklyn1 ,june1 #ahid4 ,,preface4 ,the accompanying resolution of the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of the ,reformed ,church in ,america1 ,november #af1 #ahib1 explains the origin of this volume3 ,resolved1 ,that the ,board of ,foreign ,missions1 being firmly convinced that a biography of the late ,john ,v4 ,n4 ,talmage1 ,d4,d41 for over forty years identified with the ,mission at ,amoy1 would be of great service to the cause of ,missions1 heartily recommend to the family of ,dr4 ,talmage the selection of an appropriate person to prepare such a memoir1 and in case this is done1 promise to render all the aid in their power in furnishing whatever facts or records may be of service to the author of the book4 ,the writer raised his pen to this task with hesitancy4 ,he had known ,dr4 ,talmage only little more than a year2 long enough1 indeed1 to revere and love him1 but not long enough to tell the story of so rich and fruitful a life4 ,dr4 ,talmage was a man of unconscious greatness4 ,if he could have been consulted it is doubtful whether a public record of him would have ever seen the light4 ,his life to him would have seemed too commonplace and unworthy4 ,he was exceedingly careful in the use of language4 ,he could not endure exaggeration4 ,nothing so commanded his admiration as honesty and accuracy of statement4 ,that ought to be sufficient to guard any one who speaks of such a man against indiscriminate eulogy4 ,we have endeavored as far as possible to make this memoir an autobiography4 ,to carry out this purpose has not been without difficulties4 ,dr4 ,talmage did not keep a continuous diary4 ,he did not preserve complete files of his correspondence as if anticipating the needs of some possible biographer4 ,the author's enforced retirement from the mission field in the midst of collecting and sifting material1 has been no small drawback4 ,it is hoped1 however1 that enough has been gleaned to justify publication4 ,sincerest thanks are due to those brethren who contributed to the concluding chapter1 ,in ,memoriam4 ,if these pages may more fully acquaint the ,church of ,christ with a name which it should not willingly let die1 and deepen interest in and hasten by the least hair-breadth the redemption of ,china's ,millions1 the author will feel abundantly rewarded4 ,,john ,g4 ,,fagg4 ,,arlington1 ,,new ,,jersey ,october #a1 #ahid4 ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,rev4 ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage ,chinese ,clan ,house ,buddhist ,temple1 ,amoy ,pagoda near ,lam-sin ,chinese ,bride and ,groom ,traveling ,equipment in ,south ,china ,pastor ,iap and ,family ,the ,sio ke ,valley ,glimpse of the ,sio-ke ,river ,scene in the ,hakka ,region ,girl's ,school2 ,the ,talmage ,manse2 ,woman's ,school4 7,kolongsu1 opposite ,amoy7 ,pastor ,iap ,,contents ,i4 ,the ,ancestral ,home ,,ii4 ,call to ,china and ,voyage ,hence ,,iii4 ,the ,city of the ,elegant ,gate ,description of ,amoy and ,amoy ,island ,ancestral ,worship ,infanticide ,is ,china to be won1 and how8 ,worship of the ,emperor ,,iv4 ,light and ,shade ,the ,chiang-chiu ,valley ,breaking and ,burning of ,idols ,the ,chinese ,boat ,race and its ,origin ,the ,chinese ,beggar ,system ,two ,noble ,men ,summoned ,hence ,v4 ,at the ,foot of the ,bamboos ,opium ,romanized ,colloquial ,chinese ,sense of ,sin ,primitive ,lamps ,zealous ,converts ,the ,term ,question ,what it ,costs a ,chinese to become a ,christian ,persecuted for ,christ's ,sake ,he is only a ,beggar ,printing under ,difficulties ,carrier ,pigeons ,,vi4 ,the ,little ,knife ,insurrection ,how the ,chinese ,fight ,,vii4 ,the ,blossoming ,desert ,si-boo's ,zeal ,an ,appeal for a ,missionary ,,viii4 ,church ,union ,the ,memorial of the ,amoy ,mission ,,ix4 ,church ,union 7continued7 ,x4 ,the ,anti-missionary ,agitation ,,xi4 ,the ,last ,two ,decades ,forty continuous ,years in ,heathenism ,chinese ,grandiloquence ,,xii4 ,in ,memoriam ,dr4 ,talmage--,the ,man and ,the ,missionary ,by ,rev4 ,w4 ,s4 ,swanson1 ,d4,d4 ,venerable ,teacher ,talmage ,by ,pastor ,iap ,han ,chiong ,rev4 ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,by ,rev4 ,s4 ,l4 ,baldwin1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,v4 ,n4 ,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,by ,rev4 ,talbot ,w4 ,chambers1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,rev4 ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,by ,rev4 ,john ,m4 ,ferris1 ,d4,d4 ,,appendix ,i4 ,,the ,,ancestral ,,home ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage was born at ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey1 ,august #ah1 #ahai ,he was the fourth son in a family of seven brothers and five sisters4 ,the roots of the ,talmage genealogical tree may be traced back to the year #afcj1 when ,enos and ,thomas ,talmage1 the progenitors of the ,talmage family in ,north ,america1 landed at ,charlestown1 ,massachusetts1 and afterwards settled at ,east ,hampton1 ,long ,island4 ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher represents the first settlers of ,east ,hampton as men resolute1 enterprising1 acquainted with human nature1 accustomed to do business1 well qualified by education1 circumspect1 careful in dealing1 friends of civil liberty1 jealous of their rights1 vigilant to discover1 and firm to resist encroachments2 eminently pious4 ,in #agbe we find ,daniel ,talmage at ,elizabethtown1 ,new ,jersey4 ,daniel's grandson1 ,thomas1 during the years between #agge and #ahcd shifts his tent to ,piscataway1 ,new ,jersey1 thence to ,new ,brunswick1 thence to ,somerville1 where the stakes are driven firmly on a farm beautiful for situation4 ,thomas ,talmage was a builder by trade1 and erected some of the most important courthouses and public edifices in ,somerset and ,middlesex ,counties4 ,he was active in the ,revolutionary war1 holding the rank of major4 ,it was said of him1 ,his name will be held in everlasting remembrance in the churches4 ,he was the father of seven sons and six daughters4 ,the third son1 ,david ,t41 the father of ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage1 was born at ,piscataway1 ,april #ba1 #aghc4 ,he was married to ,catharine ,van ,nests ,dec4 #ai1 #ahjc4 ,david ,t4 ,talmage was rather migratory in his instincts4 ,the smoke of the ,talmage home now curled out from a house at ,mill stone1 now from a homestead near ,somerville1 then from ,gateville2 then the family ark rested for many years on the outskirts of ,somerville and finally it brought up at ,bound ,brook1 ,new ,jersey4 ,though the family tent was folded several times1 it was not folded for more than a day's wagon journey before it was pitched again4 ,the places designated arc all within the range of a single ,new ,jersey county4 ,in #ahcf ,david ,t4 ,talmage was elected a member of the ,state ,legislature and was returned three successive terms4 ,in #ahda1 he was chosen high sheriff of ,somerset ,county4 ,four of his sons entered the ,christian ministry1 ,james ,r41 ,john ,van ,nest1 ,goyn1 and ,thomas ,de ,witt4 ,james ,r41 the senior brother1 rendered efficient service in pastorates at ,pompton ,plains and ,blawenburgh1 ,new ,jersey1 and in ,brooklyn1 ,greenbush1 and ,chittenango1 ,new ,york4 ,he received the degree of ,doctor of ,divinity from ,rutgers ,college1 ,new ,jersey1 in #ahfd4 ,john ,van ,nest gave his life to ,china4 ,goyn1 a most winsome man and eloquent preacher1 ministered with marked success to the churches of ,niskayuna1 ,green ,point1 ,rhinebeck1 and ,port ,jervis1 ,new ,york1 and ,paramus1 ,new ,jersey4 ,he was for five years the ,corresponding ,secretary of the ,board of ,domestic ,missions of the ,reformed ,church4 ,rutgers ,college honored herself and him by giving him the degree of ,doctor of ,divinity in #ahgf4 ,thomas ,de ,witt1 the youngest son1 still ministers to the largest church in ,protestant ,christendom4 ,what a river of blessing has flowed from that humble1 cottage well-spring4 ,the wilderness and the parched land have been made glad by it4 ,the desert has been made to rejoice and blossom as the rose4 ,the courses thereof have gone out into all the earth1 and the tossing of its waves have been heard to the end of the world4 ,in ,november1 #ahfe1 ,dr4 ,t4 ,de ,witt ,talmage preached a sermon on ,the ,beauty of ,old ,age99 from the words in ,eccles4 xii4 #e1 ,the ,almond ,tree shall flourish4 ,it was commemorative of his father1 ,david ,t4 ,talmage4 ,he says3 ,i have stood1 for the last few days1 as under the power of an enchantment4 ,last ,friday-a-week1 at eighty-three years of age1 my father exchanged earth for heaven4 ,the wheat was ripe1 and it has been harvested4 ,no painter's pencil or poet's rhythm could describe that magnificent sun setting4 ,it was no hurricane blast let loose2 but a gale from heaven1 that drove into the dust the blossoms of that almond tree4 ,footnote 993 ,this sermon gives so graphic and tender a portrayal of the father of one of ,america's most distinguished ministerial families1 that the author feels justified in making so lengthy an extract4 ,there are lessons for me to learn1 and also for you1 for many of you knew him4 ,the child of his old age1 ,i come to-night to pay an humble tribute to him1 who1 in the hour of my birth1 took me into his watchful care1 and whose parental faithfulness1 combined with that of my mother1 was the means of bringing my erring feet to the cross1 and kindling in my soul anticipations of immortal blessedness4 ,if ,i failed to speak1 methinks the old family ,bible1 that ,i brought home with me1 would rebuke my silence1 and the very walls of my youthful home would tell the story of my ingratitude4 ,i must speak1 though it be with broken utterance1 and in terms which seem too strong for those of you who never had an opportunity of gathering the fruit of this luxuriant almond tree4 ,first4 ,in my father's old age was to be seen the beauty of a cheerful spirit4 ,i never remember to have heard him make a gloomy expression4 ,this was not because he had no conception of the pollutions of society4 ,he abhorred everything like impurity1 or fraud1 or double-dealing4 ,he never failed to lift up his voice against sin1 when he saw it4 ,he was terrible in his indignation against wrong1 and had an iron grip for the throat of him who trampled on the helpless4 ,better meet a lion robbed of her whelps than him1 if you had been stealing the bread from the mouth of the fatherless4 ,it required all the placidity of my mother's voice to calm him when once the mountain storm of his righteous wrath was in full blast2 while as for himself1 he would submit to more imposition1 and say nothing1 than any man ,i ever knew4 ,but while sensitive to the evils of society1 he felt confident that all would be righted4 ,when he prayed1 you could hear in the very tones of his voice the expectation that ,christ ,jesus would utterly demolish all iniquity1 and fill the earth with ,his glory4 ,this ,christian man was not a misanthrope1 did not think that everything was going to ruin1 considered the world a very good place to live in4 ,he never sat moping or despondent1 but took things as they were1 knowing that ,god could and would make them better4 ,when the heaviest surge of calamity came upon him1 he met it with as cheerful a countenance as ever a bather at the beach met the incoming ,atlantic1 rising up on the other side of the wave stronger than when it smote him4 ,without ever being charged with frivolity1 he sang1 and whistled1 and laughed4 ,he knew about all the cheerful tunes that were ever printed in old ',new ,brunswick ,collection1' and the ',strum ,way1' and the sweetest melodies that ,thomas ,hastings ever composed4 ,i think that every pillar in the ,somerville and ,bound ,brook churches knew his happy voice4 ,he took the pitch of sacred song on ,sabbath morning1 and lost it not through all the week4 ,i have heard him sing plowing amid the aggravations of a 'new ground1' serving writs1 examining deeds1 going to arrest criminals1 in the house and by the way1 at the barn and in the street4 ,when the church choir would break down1 everybody looked around to see if he were not ready with ,woodstock1 ,mount ,pisgah1 or ,uxbridge4 ,and when all his familiar tunes failed to express the joy of his soul1 he would take up his own pen1 draw five long lines across the sheet1 put in the notes1 and then to the tune that he called ',bound ,brook' begin to sing3 ',as when the weary trav'ler gains ,the height of some o'erlooking hill1 ,his heart revives if1 'cross the plains1 ,he eyes his home1 tho' distant still3 ,thus1 when the ,christian pilgrim views1 ,by faith1 his mansion in the skies2 ,the sight his fainting strength renews1 ,and wings his speed to reach the prize4 ',tis there1 he says1 ,i am to dwell ,with ,jesus in the realms of day3 ,there ,i shall bid my cares farewell1 ,and he will wipe my tears away4 ,but few families fell heir to so large a pile of well-studied note-books4 ,he was ready1 at proper times1 for all kinds of innocent amusement4 ,he often felt a merriment that not only touched the lips1 but played upon every fibre of the body1 and rolled down into the very depths of his soul1 with long reverberations4 ,no one that ,i ever knew understood more fully the science of a good laugh4 ,he was not only quick to recognize hilarity when created by others1 but was always ready to do his share toward making it4 ,before extreme old age1 he could outrun and outleap any of his children4 ,he did not hide his satisfaction at having outwalked some one who boasted of his pedestrianism1 or at having been able to swing the scythe after all the rest of the harvesters had dropped from exhaustion1 or at having1 in legislative hall1 tripped up some villainous scheme for robbing the public treasury4 ,we never had our ears boxed1 as some children ,i wot of1 for the sin of being happy4 ,in long winter nights it was hard to tell who enjoyed sportfulness the better1 the children who romped the floor1 or the parents who1 with lighted countenance1 looked at them4 ,great indulgence and leniency characterized his family rule1 but the remembrance of at least one correction more emphatic than pleasing proves that he was not like ,eli of old1 who had wayward sons and restrained them not4 ,in the multitude of his witticisms there were no flings at religion1 no caricatures of good men1 no trifling with things of eternity4 ,his laughter was not the 'crackling of thorns under a pot1' but the merry heart that doeth good like a medicine4 ,for this all the children of the community knew him2 and to the last day of his walking out1 when they saw him coming down the lane1 shouted1 ',here comes grandfather6' ,no gall1 no acerbity1 no hypercriticism4 ,if there was a bright side to anything1 he always saw it1 and his name1 in all the places where he dwelt1 will long be a synonym for exhilaration of spirit4 ,but whence this cheerfulness8 ,some might ascribe it ail to natural disposition4 ,no doubt there is such a thing as sunshine of temperament4 ,god gives more brightness to the almond tree than to the cypress4 ,while the pool putrefies under the summer sun1 ,god slips the rill off of the rocks with a frolicsomeness that fills the mountain with echo4 ,no doubt constitutional structure had much to do with this cheerfulness4 ,he had1 by a life of sobriety1 preserved his freshness and vigor4 ,you know that good habits are better than speaking tubes to the ear2 better than a staff to the hand2 better than lozenges to the throat2 better than warm baths to the feet2 better than bitters for the stomach4 ,his lips had not been polluted1 nor his brain befogged1 by the fumes of the noxious weed that has sapped the life of whole generations1 sending even ministers of the ,gospel to untimely graves1 over which the tombstone declared1 ',sacrificed by overwork in the ,lord's vineyard1' when if the marble had not lied1 it would have said1 ',killed by villainous tobacco6' ,he abhorred anything that could intoxicate1 being among the first in this country to join the crusade against alcoholic beverages4 ,when urged1 during a severe sickness1 to take some stimulus1 he said1 ',no6 ,if ,i am to die1 let me die sober6' ,the swill of the brewery had never been poured around the roots of this thrifty almond4 ,to the last week of his life his ear could catch a child's whisper1 and at fourscore years his eyes refused spectacles1 although he would sometimes have to hold the book off on the other side of the light1 as octogenarians are wont to do4 ,no trembling of the hands1 no rheum in the eyes1 no knocking together of the knees1 no hobbling on crutches with what polite society terms rheumatism in the feet1 but what everybody knows is nothing but gout4 ,death came1 not to fell the gnarled trunk of a tree worm-eaten and lightning-blasted1 but to hew down a ,lebanon cedar1 whose fall made the mountains tremble and the heavens ring4 ,but physical health could not account for half of this sunshine4 ,sixty-four years ago a coal from the heavenly altar had kindled a light that shone brighter and brighter to the perfect day4 ,let ,almighty grace for nearly three-quarters of a century triumph in a man's soul1 and do you wonder that he is happy8 ,for twice the length of your life and mine he had sat in the bower of the promises1 plucking the round1 ripe clusters of ,eshcol4 ,while others bit their tongues for thirst1 he stood at the wells of salvation1 and put his lips to the bucket that came up dripping with the fresh1 cool1 sparkling waters of eternal life4 ,this joy was not that which breaks in the bursting bubble of the champagne glass1 or that which is thrown out with the orange-peelings of a midnight bacchanalia1 but the joy which1 planted by a ,saviour's pardoning grace1 mounts up higher and higher1 till it breaks forth in the acclaim of the hundred and forty and four thousand who have broken their last chain and wept their last sorrow4 ,oh6 mighty ,god6 ,how deep1 how wide1 how high the joy ,thou kindles in the heart of the believer6 ,again3 ,we behold in our father the beauty of a ,christian faith4 ,let not the account of this cheerfulness give you the idea that he never had any trouble4 ,but few men have so serious and overwhelming a life struggle4 ,he went out into the world without means1 and with no educational opportunity1 save that which was afforded him in the winter months1 in an old1 dilapidated school-house1 from instructors whose chief work was to collect their own salary4 ,instead of postponing the marriage relation1 as modern society compels a young man to postpone it1 until he can earn a fortune1 and be able1 at commencement of the conjugal relation1 to keep a companion like the lilies of the field1 that toil not nor spin1 though ,solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these--he chose an early alliance with one1 who would not only be able to enjoy the success of his life1 but who would with her own willing hands help achieve it4 ,and so while father plowed the fields1 and threshed the wheat1 and broke the flax1 and husked the corn1 my mother stood for ,solomon's portraiture1 when he said1 ',she riseth also while it is yet night1 and giveth meat to her household4 ,she layeth her hands to the spindle1 and her hands hold the distaff4 ,she is not afraid of the snow for her household1 for all her household are clothed with scarlet4 ,her children arise up and call her blessed1 her husband also1 and he praiseth her4 ,many daughters have done virtuously1 but thou excellest them all4' ,so that the limited estate of the ,new ,jersey farmer never foundered on millinery establishments and confectionery shops4 ,and though we were some years of age before we heard the trill of a piano1 we knew well about the song of ',the ,spinning-wheel4' ,there were no lords1 or baronets1 or princes in our ancestral line4 ,none wore stars1 cockade1 or crest4 ,there was once a family coat of arms1 but we were none of us wise enough to tell its meaning4 ,do our best1 we cannot find anything about our forerunners1 except that they behaved well1 came over from ,wales or ,holland a good while ago1 and died when their time came4 ,some of them may have had fine equipage and caparisoned postillion1 but the most of them were only footmen4 ,my father started in life belonging to the aristocracy of hard knuckles and homespun1 but had this high honor that no one could despise4 ,he was the son of a father who loved ,god1 and kept ,his commandments4 ,what is the ,house of ,hapsburg or ,stuarts1 compared with being son of the ,lord ,god ,almighty8 ,two eyes1 two hands1 and two feet1 were the capital my father started with4 ,for fifteen years an invalid1 he had a fearful struggle to support his large family4 ,nothing but faith in ,god upheld him4 ,his recital of help afforded1 and deliverances wrought1 was more like a romance than a reality4 ,he walked through many a desert1 but every morning had its manna1 and every night it's pillar of fire1 and every hard rock a rod that could shatter it into crystal fountains at his feet4 ,more than once he came to his last dollar2 but right behind that last dollar he found ,him who owns the cattle on a thousand hills1 and out of the palm of whose hand all the fowls of heaven peck their food1 and who hath given to each one of ,his disciples a warrantable deed for the whole universe in the words1 ',all are yours4' ,the path that led him through financial straits1 prepared him also for sore bereavements4 ,the infant of days was smitten1 and he laid it into the river of death with as much confidence as infant ,moses was laid into the ,ark of the ,nile1 knowing that soon from the royal palace a shining ,one would come to fetch it4 ,in an island of the sea1 among strangers1 almost unattended1 death came to a beloved son2 and though ,i remember the darkness that dropped on the household when the black-sealed letter was opened1 ,i remember also the utterances of ,christian submission4 ,another bearing his own name1 just on the threshold of manhood1 his heart beating high with hope1 falls into the dust2 but above the cries of early widowhood and the desolation of that dark day1 ,i hear the patriarch's prayer1 commending children1 and children's children1 to the ,divine sympathy4 ,but a deeper shadow fell across the old home-stead4 ,the ',golden ,wedding' had been celebrated nine years before4 ,my mother looked up1 pushed back her spectacles1 and said1 ',just think of it1 father6 ,we have been together fifty-nine years6' ,the twain stood together like two trees of the forest with interlocked branches4 ,their affections had taken deep root together in many a kindred grave4 ,side by side in life's great battle1 they had fought the good fight and won the day4 ,but death comes to unjoint this alliance4 ,god will not any longer let her suffer mortal ailments4 ,the reward of righteousness is ready1 and it must be paid4 ,but what a tearing apart6 ,what rending up6 ,what will the aged man do without this other to lean on8 ,who can so well understand how to sympathize and counsel8 ,what voice so cheering as hers1 to conduct him down the steep of old age8 ',oh' said she in her last moments1 'father1 if you and ,i could only be together1 how pleasant it would be6' ,but the hush of death came down one autumnal afternoon1 and for the first time in all my life1 on my arrival at home1 ,i received no maternal greeting1 no answer of the lips1 no pressure of the hand4 ,god had taken her4 ,in this overwhelming shock the patriarch stood confident1 reciting the promises and attesting the ,divine goodness4 ,o1 sirs1 that was faith1 faith1 faith6 ',thanks be unto ,god who giveth us the victory6' ,finally1 ,i noticed that in my father's old age was to be seen the beauty of ,christian activity4 ,he had not retired from the field4 ,he had been busy so long you could not expect him idle now4 ,the faith ,i have described was not an idle expectation that sits with its hands in its pockets idly waiting1 but a feeling which gathers up all the resources of the soul1 and hurls them upon one grand design4 ,he was among the first who toiled in ,sabbath-schools1 and never failed to speak the praise of these institutions4 ,no storm or darkness ever kept him away from prayer-meeting4 ,in the neighborhood where he lived for years held a devotional meeting4 ,oftentimes the only praying man present1 before a handful of attendants1 he would give out the hymn1 read the lines1 conduct the music1 and pray4 ,then read the ,scriptures and pray again4 ,then lead forth in the ,doxology with an enthusiasm as if there were a thousand people present1 and all the church members had been doing their duty4 ,he went forth visiting the sick1 burying the dead1 collecting alms for the poor1 inviting the ministers of religion to his household1 in which there was1 as in the house of ,shunem1 a little room over the wall1 with bed and candlestick for any passing ,elisha4 ,he never shuddered at the sight of a subscription paper1 and not a single great cause of benevolence has arisen within the last half century which he did not bless with his beneficence4 ,oh1 this was not a barren almond tree that blossomed4 ,his charity was not like the bursting of the bud of a famous tree in the ,south that fills the whole forest with its racket2 nor was it a clumsy thing like the fruit1 in some tropical clime1 that crashes down1 almost knocking the life out of those who gather it2 for in his case the right hand knew not what the left hand did4 ,the churches of ,god in whose service he toiled1 have arisen as one man to declare his faithfulness and to mourn their loss4 ,he stood in the front of the holy war1 and the courage which never trembled or winced in the presence of temporal danger induced him to dare all things for ,god4 ,in church matters he was not afraid to be shot at4 ,ordained1 not by the laying on of human hands1 but by the imposition of a ,saviour's love1 he preached by his life1 in official position1 and legislative hall1 and commercial circles1 a practical ,christianity4 ,he showed that there was such a thing as honesty in politics4 ,he slandered no party1 stuffed no ballot box1 forged no naturalization papers1 intoxicated no voters1 told no lies1 surrendered no principle1 countenanced no demagogism4 ,he called things by their right names2 and what others styled prevarication1 exaggeration1 misstatement or hyperbole1 he called a lie4 ,though he was far from being undecided in his views1 and never professed neutrality1 or had any consort with those miserable men who boast how well they can walk on both sides of a dividing line and be on neither1 yet even in the excitements of election canvass1 when his name was hotly discussed in public journals1 ,i do not think his integrity was ever assaulted4 ,starting every morning with a chapter of the ,bible1 and his whole family around him on their knees1 he forgot not1 in the excitements of the world1 that he had a ,god to serve and a heaven to win4 ,the morning prayer came up on one side of the day1 and the evening prayer on the other side1 and joined each other in an arch above his head1 under the shadow of which he walked all the day4 ,the ,sabbath worship extended into ,monday's conversation1 and ,tuesday's bargain1 and ,wednesday's mirthfulness1 and ,thursday's controversy1 and ,friday's sociality1 and ,saturday's calculation4 ,through how many thrilling scenes had he passed6 ,he stood1 at ,morristown1 in the choir that chanted when ,george ,washington was buried2 talked with young men whose grandfathers he had held on his knee2 watched the progress of ,john ,adams' administration2 denounced1 at the time1 ,aaron ,burr's infamy2 heard the guns that celebrated the ,new ,orleans victory2 voted against ,jackson1 but lived long enough to wish we had one just like him2 remembered when the first steamer struck the ,north ,river with it's wheel buckets2 flushed with excitement in the time of national banks and sub-treasury2 was startled at the birth of telegraphy2 saw the ,united ,states grow from a speck on the world's map till all nations dip their flag at our passing merchantmen1 and our 'national airs' have been heard on the steeps of the ,himalayas2 was born while the ,revolutionary cannon were coming home from ,yorktown1 and lived to hear the tramp of troops returning from the war of the great ,rebellion2 lived to speak the names of eighty children1 grandchildren1 and great-grandchildren4 ,nearly all his contemporaries gone6 ,aged ,wilberforce said that sailors drink to 'friends astern' until halfway over the sea1 and then drink to 'friends ahead4' ,so1 also1 with my father4 ,long and varied pilgrimage6 ,nothing but sovereign grace could have kept him true1 earnest1 useful1 and ,christian through so many exciting scenes4 ,he worked unwearily from the sunrise of youth1 to the sunset of old age1 and then in the sweet nightfall of death1 lighted by the starry promises1 went home1 taking his sheaves with him4 ,mounting from earthly to heavenly service1 ,i doubt not there were a great multitude that thronged heaven's gate to hail him into the skies1--those whose sorrows he had appeased1 whose burdens he had lifted1 whose guilty souls he had pointed to a pardoning ,god1 whose dying moments he had cheered1 whose ascending spirits he had helped up on the wings of sacred music4 ,i should like to have heard that long1 loud1 triumphant shout of heaven's welcome4 ,i think that the harps throbbed with another thrill1 and the hills quaked with a mightier hallelujah4 ,hail6 ransomed soul6 ,thy race run1--thy toil ended6 ,hail to the coronation6 ,at the death of ,david ,t4 ,talmage the ,christian ,intelligencer of ,october #be1 #ahfe1 contained the following contribution from the pen of ,dr4 ,t4,w4 ,chambers1 for many years pastor of the ,second ,reformed ,church1 ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey1 now one of the pastors of the ,collegiate ,church1 ,new ,york3 ,in the latter part of the last century1 ,thomas ,talmage1 ,sr41 a plain but intelligent farmer1 moved into the neighborhood of ,somerville1 ,n4,j41 and settled upon a fertile tract of land1 very favorably situated1 and commanding a view of the country for miles around4 ,here he spent the remainder of a long1 godly1 and useful life1 and reared a large family of children1 twelve of whom were spared to reach adult years1 and to make and adorn the same ,christian profession of which their father was a shining light4 ,two of these became ministers of the ,gospel1 of whom one1 ,jehiel1 fell asleep several years since1 while the other1 the distinguished ,samuel ,k4 ,talmage1 ,d4,d41 ,president of ,oglethorpe ,university1 ,georgia1 entered into his rest only a few weeks since4 ,another son1 ,thomas1 was for an entire generation the strongest pillar in the ,second ,church of ,somerville4 ,one of the oldest of the twelve was the subject of this notice2 a man whose educational advantages were limited to the local schools of the neighborhood1 but whose excellent natural abilities1 sharpened by contact with the world1 gave him a weight in the community which richer and more cultivated men might have envied4 ,in the prime of his years he was often called to serve his fellow citizens in civil trusts4 ,he spent some years in the popular branch of the ,legislature1 and was afterwards high sheriff of the ,county of ,somerset for the usual period4 ,in both cases he fulfilled the expectations of his friends1 and rendered faithful service4 ,the sterling integrity of his character manifested itself in every situation2 and even in the turmoil of politics1 at a time of much excitement1 he maintained a stainless name1 and defied the tongue of calumny4 ,but it was chiefly in the sphere of private and social relations that his work was done and his influence exerted4 ,his father's piety was reproduced in him at an early period1 and soon assumed a marked type of thoroughness1 activity and decision1 which it bore even to the end4 ,his long life was one of unblemished ,christian consistency1 which in no small measure was due to the influence of his excellent wife1 ,catherine ,van ,nest1 a niece of the late ,abraham ,van ,nest1 of ,new ,york ,city1 who a few years preceded him into glory4 ,she was the most godly woman the writer ever knew1 a wonder unto many for the strength of her faith1 the profoundness of her ,christian experience1 and the uniform spirituality of her mind4 ,the ebb and flow common to most believers did not appear in her2 but her course was like a river fed by constant streams1 and running on wider and deeper till it reaches the sea4 ,it might be said of this pair1 as truly as of the parents of ,john the ,baptist1 ',and they were both righteous before ,god1 walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the ,lord blameless4' ,hand in hand they pursued their pilgrimage through this world1 presenting an example of intelligent piety such as is not often seen4 ',lovely and pleasant in their lives1 in their death they were not 7long7 divided4' ,exactly three years from the day of ,mrs4 ,talmage's death her husband received the summons to rejoin her on high4 ,these parents were unusually careful and diligent in discharging their ,christian obligations to their children4 ,the promise of the covenant was importunately implored in their behalf from the moment of birth1 its seal was early applied1 and the whole training was after the pattern of ,abraham4 ,the ,divine faithfulness was equally manifest1 for the whole eleven were in due time brought to the ,saviour1 and introduced into the full communion of the ,church4 ,years ago two of them were removed by death4 ,of the rest1 four1 ,james1 ,john1 ,goyn1 and ,thomas ,de ,witt1 are ministers of the ,gospel1 and one is the wife of a minister 7the ,rev4 ,s4 ,l4 ,mershon1 of ,east ,hampton1 ,l4,i474 ,without entering into details respecting these brethren1 it is sufficient to say that1 with the exception of the late ,dr4 ,john ,scudder's1 no other single family has been the means of making such a valuable contribution to the sons of ,levi in the ,dutch ,church4 ,mr4 ,talmage was not only exemplary in the ordinary duties of a ,christian1 but excellent as a church officer4 ,shrewd1 patient1 kind1 generous according to his means1 and full of quiet zeal1 he was ready for every good work2 one of those men--the delight of a pastor's heart--who can always be relied upon to do their share1 if not a little more1 and that in things both temporal and spiritual4 ,he was a wise counselor1 a true friend1 a self-sacrificing laborer for the ,master4 ,we find the following allusion to the life and death of his mother1 in a sermon by ,dr4 ,t4 ,de ,witt ,talmage3 ,in these remarks upon maternal faithfulness1 ,i have found myself unconsciously using as a model the character of one1 who1 last ,wednesday1 we put away for the resurrection4 ,about sixty years ago1 just before the day of their marriage1 my father and mother stood up in the old meeting-house1 at ,somerville1 to take the vows of a ,christian4 ,through a long life of vicissitude she lived blamelessly and usefully1 and came to her end in peace4 ,no child of want ever came to her door1 and was turned away4 ,no stricken soul ever appealed to her and was not comforted4 ,no sinner ever asked her the way to be saved1 and was not pointed to ,christ4 ,when the ,angel of ,life came to a neighbor's dwelling1 she was there to rejoice at the incarnation2 and when the ,angel of ,death came1 she was there to robe the departed one for burial4 ,we had often heard her1 while kneeling among her children at family prayers1 when father was absent1 say3 ',i ask not for my children wealth1 or honor2 but ,i do ask that they may all become the subjects of ,thy converting grace4' ,she had seen all her eleven children gathered into the ,church1 and she had but one more wish1 and that was that she might again see her missionary son4 ,and when the ship from ,china anchored in ,new ,york harbor1 and the long absent one crossed the threshold of his paternal home1 she said1 ',now1 ,lord1 lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation4' ,we were gathered from afar to see only the house from which the soul had fled forever4 ,how calm she looked6 ,her folded hands appeared just as when they were employed in kindnesses for her children4 ,and we could not help but say1 as we stood and looked at her1 ',doesn't she look beautiful6' ,it was a cloudless day when1 with heavy hearts1 we carried her out to the last resting-place4 ,the withered leaves crumbled under wheel and hoof as we passed1 and the setting sun shone upon the river until it looked like fire4 ,but more calm and bright was the setting sun of this aged pilgrim's life4 ,no more toil4 ,no more tears4 ,no more sickness4 ,no more death4 ,dear mother6 ,beautiful mother6 ',sweet is the slumber beneath the sod1 ,while the pure soul is resting with ,god4' ,,ii4 ,,call ,,to ,,china ,,and ,,voyage ,,hence ,the known facts in regard to ,john ,talmage's boyhood and youthful days are few4 ,of the known facts some perhaps are too trivial1 others too sacred to bear mention4 ,the sapling grew4 ,of the inner and outer circles of growth there is but brief record4 ,he spent his boyhood at a quiet country hamlet1 ,gateville1 ,new ,jersey4 ,on the ridge swung the toll-gate1 and a little beyond might be heard the hum and rattle of the grist-mill4 ,his father kept the toll-gate4 ,john was a fine horseman1 and found great sport in jumping on his horse and chasing the people who had cheated the gate by not paying their toll4 ,john knew the law and was not afraid to go for them4 ,he went to a private school under the care of a ,mr4 ,morton at the village of ,bound ,brook1 two miles from home1 and generally stood at the head of his class4 ,he early became the judge and counselor among his brothers and sisters4 ,in any little dispute which arose1 ,john's verdict was usually accepted as correct and final4 ,during all his missionary career in ,china1 he was an adviser and arbitrator whom foreigners and ,chinese alike sought and from whose advice they were not quick to turn away4 ,in the midst of the tumult among the men of ,medina when they met to elect a chief to take the place of ,mohammed1 who had passed away1 the voice of ,hohab was heard crying out1 ,attend to me1 attend to me1 for ,i am the well-rubbed ,palm-stem4 ,the figure ,hobab used represented a palm-trunk left for the beasts to come and rub themselves upon4 ,it was a metaphor for a person much resorted to for counsel4 ,john ,talmage never called attention to himself1 but the ,arab chief must have counseled many1 and well1 to have taken a higher place than did this messenger of ,christ at ,amoy4 ,by the time ,john ,talmage's school days at ,bound ,brook were completed he had determined to prepare for college4 ,preparatory schools then were few and far away4 ,they were expensive4 ,john made an arrangement with his senior brother1 ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,talmage1 then pastor at ,blawenburgh1 ,new ,jersey1 to put him through the required course4 ,here he joined the ,church at the age of seventeen4 ,from ,blawenburgh his brother ,goyn and he went to ,new ,brunswick1 ,new ,jersey1 joining the ,sophomore class in ,rutgers ,college4 ,john and ,goyn roomed together1 swept and garnished their own quarters and did their own cooking4 ,father ,talmage would come down every week or two with provisions from the farm1 to replenish the ever-recipient larder4 ,both ,john and ,goyn were diligent students and graduated with honorable recognition from ,rutgers ,college in #ahdb1 and from ,new ,brunswick ,theological ,seminary in #ahde4 ,john ,talmage had made such substantial attainments in ,hebrew and ,greek1 that when some years afterward the distinguished ,dr4 ,mc,clelland resigned as professor of these languages in the ,theological ,seminary at ,new ,brunswick1 he was talked of as ,dr4 ,mc,clelland's successor1 and but for the conviction that he ought not to be removed from the ,amoy ,mission1 his appointment would have been earnestly advocated by the ,general ,synod4 ,john ,talmage had read missionary biographies when a boy in the ,sunday-school at ,bound ,brook4 ,he had been specially touched by the life of ,henry ,martyn4 ,while at college he kept himself supplied with missionary literature4 ,his parents were already interested in foreign missions4 ,in secret before ,god his mother had devoted ,john to this very work4 ,john did not know it4 ,the determining word for him was that spoken in a missionary address1 by ,rev4 ,elihu ,doty1 one of the pioneers of the ,amoy ,mission4 ,it was plain that he must go to the regions beyond4 ,he must break the news to his mother4 ,john's love of missionary literature and his eager attendance upon missionary meetings had filled the family with a secret fear that he thought of going4 ,one day he invited his younger sister1 ,catharine1 to take a walk with him across the fields4 ,he began to talk about missions to foreign lands4 ,finally he said1 ,catharine1 you must help me prepare the way to tell mother that ,i want to go to ,china4 ,too overcome with emotion was the sister to reply4 ,they walked home in silence4 ,john sought opportunity when he could quietly tell his mother4 ,said he1 ,mother1 ,i am going to ,china4 ,in the intensity of a mother's love she replied1 ,oh1 ,john1 it will kill me4 ,but the grace of ,god triumphed and again she said1 ,i prayed to ,god for this1 how can ,i object8 ,in ,october1 #ahde1 he applied to the ,american ,board of ,commissioners for ,foreign ,missions1 through ,dr4 ,thomas ,de ,witt1 the ,secretary for the ,reformed ,church4 ,the letter is still in possession4 ,an extract from it reads3 ,i was twenty-five years of age last ,august1 reside at ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey1 have been blessed with ,christian parents and enjoyed an early religious education4 ,by the assistance of friends and the ,church1 ,i have been enabled to pursue the usual course of study preparatory in our ,church to entering upon the duties of the ,gospel ministry4 ,i graduated at ,rutgers ,college in the summer of #ahdb1 pursued my theological studies in our seminary at ,new ,brunswick1 and received from the ,classis of ,philadelphia1 ,july last1 'license' to preach the ,gospel4 ,owing doubtless in great measure to the religious advantages ,i have enjoyed1 my mind has been more or less under religious impressions from my earliest recollection4 ,about eight years ago ,i united on confession of faith with the ,church 7,reformed ,dutch7 at ,blawenburgh1 ,new ,jersey1 of which my brother1 ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,talmage1 was then and still is pastor4 ,was living in his family at the time1 and studying with him preparatory to entering college4 ,i am unable to decide when ,i met with a change of heart4 ,my reason for believing that ,i have experienced such a change are the evidences within me that ,i love my ,saviour1 love ,his cause1 and love the souls of men4 ,my reason for desiring the missionary work is a desire for the salvation of the heathen4 ,my mind has been directed to the subject for a long time1 yet ,i have not felt at liberty to decide the question where duty called me to labor until the last month4 ,in accordance with this decision ,i now offer my services to the ,board to labor in my ,master's service among the heathen4 ,as a field of labor ,i prefer ,china4 ,owing to deficiency in funds the ,board could not send him that year4 ,he accepted an invitation to assist ,dr4 ,brodhead1 then pastor of the ,central ,reformed ,church of ,brooklyn4 ,dr4 ,brodhead was one of the great preachers of his day4 ,in ,philadelphia1 an earlier pastorate1 he preached to great congregations of eager listeners1 and with a success unparalleled in the history of that city and rare in modern times4 ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage might have been his successor4 ,but no sooner was the ,board ready to send him than he was prepared to go4 ,the day for leaving home came4 ,father ,talmage and the older brothers accompanied ,john4 ,they left the house in three carriages4 ,a younger sister 7,mrs4 ,cone7 recently said3 ,when we saw the three carriages driving down the lane it seemed more like a funeral than anything else4 ,silent were those who drove away4 ,silent1 silent as they could constrain themselves to be1 were mother and sisters as they stood by the windows and got their last look of the procession as it wound down the road4 ,to go to a foreign land in those days signified to those who went1 lifelong exile1--to those who tarried1 lifelong separation4 ,the only highways to the far ,east were by way of the ,cape of ,good ,hope or ,cape ,horn4 ,the voyages were always long and often perilous4 ,when on board the ship ,roman1 bound for ,canton1 ,david ,abeel wrote3 ,to the missionary perhaps exclusively1 is the separation from friends like the farewell of death4 ,though ignorant of the future he expects no further intercourse on earth4 ,to him the next meeting is generally beyond the grave4 ,the hour of departure was not only saddened by parting from parents and brothers and sisters1 but the young woman in ,elizabethtown1 ,new ,jersey1 to whom he had given his affection1 could not join him4 ,once it had been decided that they were to go together1 but during the last days the enfeebled widowed mother's courage failed her4 ,she could not relinquish her daughter to what seemed to her separation for life4 ,mr4 ,talmage had to choose between the call of duty to ,china and going alone1 or tarrying at home and realizing his heart's hopes4 ,he went to ,china4 ,by a special ,providence it was not much more than two years after he set sail that he was again in the ,united ,states4 ,the mother of ,miss ,abby ,woodruff had died1 and the union was consummated4 ,mr4 ,talmage kept a diary of the voyage4 ,a few extracts will prove interesting4 ,left ,somerville ,april #aj1 #ahdg1 via ,new ,york to ,boston4 ,sailed from ,boston in ship ,heber1 ,april #aeth4 ,farewell services on board conducted by ,bishop ,janes1 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,the ,heber is a ship of #dcf tons1 #acf feet long1 #bg wide4 ,among the passengers are ,rev4 ,e4 ,doty and wife1 and ,rev4 ,moses ,c ,white and wife1 and ,rev4 ,i4 ,d4 ,collins4 ,the three latter are ,methodist missionaries bound for ,foochow 7,china74 ,they were the pioneers of ,methodist missions in ,china4 ,on ,thursday evening1 the cay of sailing1 he writes3 ,i am now upon the bosom of the mighty deep4 ,but ,i cannot as yet feel any fear4 ,i am in the hands of the ,being 'whose ,i am and whom ,i serve4' ,in ,his hands there is safety4 ,i will not fear though the earth be removed4 ,besides1 there are ,christian friends praying for me4 ,oh1 the consolation in the assurance that at the throne of grace ,i am remembered by near and dear friends6 ,will not their prayers be heard8 ,they will4 ,i know they will4 ,the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much6 ,when ,i took leave of my friends1 one1 and another1 and another1 assured me that they would remember me in their prayers4 ,yes1 and ,i will remember them4 ,april #agth4 ,speaking of ,mr4 ,collins1 he says3 ,i think we shall much enjoy ourselves4 ,we shall study1 read1 sing1 and pray together1 talk and walk together4 ,from present appearances we shall feel towards each other as ,david and ,jonathan did4 ,mr4 ,collins was a man of intense missionary convictions1 who declared if there were no means to send him to ,china he would find his way before the mast1 and work his way there4 ,april #bb4 ,we have now been one week on our voyage4 ,we commenced our studies today4 ,mr4 ,doty1 ,collins1 and myself have organized ourselves into a ,hebrew class4 ,we expect to have a daily recitation in ,hebrew1 another in ,greek1 and another in ,chinese4 ,may #hth4 ,saturday evening4 ,we have been out #bc days4 ,we have had our worship as usual in the cabin4 ,since then we have spent some time in singing hymns4 ,have been led to think of home4 ,wonder where and how my many friends are8 ,are they happy8 ,are they well8 ,are they all alive8 ,is it strange that sadness sometimes steals over my mind1 when ,i think of those whom ,i love1 and remember their weeping eyes and sorrowful countenances at the time of bidding them farewell1 perhaps never again to see them in this world4 ,he had decided to take a text of ,scripture for daily meditation1 following the order in a little book published by the ,american ,tract ,society entitled ,dew ,drops4 ,the text for today is #a ,pet4 ii4 #ba4 ',christ suffered for us1 leaving us an example1 that we should follow his steps4' ,why should the ,christian tremble at the prospect of suffering1 or be impatient under its existence8 ',the servant is not greater than his ,lord4' ,the ',king of ,glory' suffered1 and shall a sinful man complain8 ,besides1 the ,christian should be willing to suffer for the welfare of others4 ,if he can benefit his fellow-men by running the risk of losing his own life1 shall he hesitate to run that risk8 ,may #aa4 ,since ,sunday noon have made little progress4 ,on examining the record of the voyage which ,mr4 ,talmage kept faithfully every day1 we find that the ship had made only twenty seven knots in two days4 ,june #ah4 ,for the last month we have not made rapid progress4 ,we have experienced much detention from head-winds and calms4 ,about a week ago we were put on an allowance of water1 one gallon a day to each one on board4 ,this includes all that is used for cooking1 drinking and washing4 ,have had quite a severe storm this afternoon and evening4 ,the waves have been very high1 and the wind--severe almost as a hurricane4 ,this evening about #h o'clock1 after a very severe blow and heavy dash of rain1 'fire balls1' as the sailors termed them1 were seen upon the tops of the masts1 and also on the ends of the spars1 which cross the masts4 ,they presented a very beautiful appearance4 ,brother ,collins and myself have this week commenced the study of ,pitman's ,system of ,phonography4 ,that ,mr4 ,talmage became proficient in the use of it is evident from the fact that much of his journal was written in shorthand4 ,on the ,sabbath ,brother ,collins and myself spend two hours in the forecastle instructing the sailors4 ,many of them seem perfectly willing1 some of them anxious to receive instruction4 ,july #ag4 ,saturday evening4 ,today passed to the eastward of ,christmas ,island 7an island in the ,indian ,ocean74 ,it is a small island about ten miles square4 ,this is the first land seen since we left ,boston4 ,of course1 we gazed with much interest4 ,july #bb4 ,about nine o'clock ,tuesday evening we anchored off ,angier4 ,this is a village off the island of ,java1 bordering on the ,straits of ,sunda4 ,remained at ,angier until ,wednesday afternoon4 ,capt4 ,patterson laid in a good supply of pigs1 geese1 ducks1 chickens1 yams1 turtles1 water1 two goats1 and fruits of various kinds in abundance4 ,aug4 #f4 ,friday4 ,wednesday evening arrived at ,macao4 ,this morning set sail for ,whampoa1 twelve miles below ,canton4 ,after a few days at ,canton and ,hongkong1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,doty and ,mr4 ,talmage embarked for ,amoy on the schooner ,caroline4 ,aug #ba4 ,the ,caroline is a small vessel of about one hundred and fifty tons burthen4 ,she was built1 ,i suppose1 for the opium trade4 ,our passage from ,hongkong was not very pleasant4 ,our quarters were close and our captain was far from being an agreeable companion4 ,he drank freely and was very profane4 ,we left ,brother ,collins and ,brother ,white and wife at ,hongkong4 ,we had been so long in company with these brethren1 that it was trying to part with them4 ,on ,thursday1 the day before yesterday1 we arrived safely at ,amoy4 ,the brethren gave us a very hearty welcome4 ,the missionary company at this place consists of ,brother ,pohlman1 of the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m42 ,mr4 ,alexander ,stronach and wife1 and ,brown1 of the ,presbyterian ,board4 ,mr4 ,john ,stronach also belongs to this station4 ,he is at present at ,shanghai4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,the ,,elegant ,,gate99 ,footnote 993 the meaning of the two ,chinese characters composing the name ,amoy4 ,in a letter to the ,sabbath-school of the ,central ,reformed ,church1 ,brooklyn1 ,mr4 ,talmage thus describes the southern emporium of the province of ,fukien3 ,amoy is situated on an island of the same name4 ,the city proper or citadel is about one mile in circumference4 ,its form is nearly that of a rhomboid or diamond4 ,it is surrounded by a wall about twenty feet in height1 and eight or ten feet in thickness1 built of large blocks of coarse granite4 ,it has four gates4 ,the outer city1 or city outside of the walls1 is much more extensive4 ,its circumference1 ,i suppose1 is about six miles4 ,the streets are not so wide as the sidewalks in ,brooklyn4 ,some of them are so narrow that1 when two persons1 walking in opposite directions1 meet each other1 it is necessary for the one to stop1 in order that the other may pass on4 ,the most of the streets are paved with coarse granite blocks1 yet on account of the narrowness of the streets1 and the want of cleanliness by the great mass of the inhabitants1 the streets are usually very filthy4 ,this part of ,amoy island is rugged and mountainous1 and interspersed with large granite rocks4 ,some of them are of immense size4 ,it is in such a place that the city has been built4 ,many of these rocks are left in their natural position1 and overhang the houses which have been built among them4 ,the ground has not been leveled as in ,brooklyn1 consequently the greater part of the streets are uneven4 ,some of them are conducted over the hills by stone steps4 ,near our residences1 one of the public streets ascends a hill by a flight of thirty-six steps4 ,on account of this unevenness of the streets as well as their narrowness a carriage cannot pass through the city of ,amoy4 ,instead of carriages the more wealthy inhabitants use sedan chairs1 which are usually borne by two bearers4 ,the higher officers of government1 called ',mandarins1' have four bearers to carry them4 ,the greater part of the inhabitants always travel on foot4 ,the place of carts is supplied by men called 'coolies1' whose employment is to carry burdens4 ,the houses1 except along the wharves and a few pawn-shops farther up in the city1 are one story4 ,there are no churches here1 but there are far more temples for the worship of false gods1 and the souls of deceased ancestors1 than there are churches in ,brooklyn4 ,besides these1 almost every family has its shrine and idols and ancestral tablets1 which last are worshipped with more devotion than the idols4 ,in consequence of their religion the people are degraded and immoral4 ,one-third of all female children born in the city of ,amoy are slain4 ,in the villages throughout this whole region1 it is supposed that about one-half are destroyed4 ,they do not exhibit sympathy for each other and for those in distress1 which is enjoined by the ,bible1 and which1 notwithstanding all its defects1 is the glory of ,christian communities4 ,i have seen a man dying on the pavement on a street1 almost as densely thronged as ,broadway1 ,new ,york1 and no one of the passers-by1 or of the inhabitants of that part of the street1 seemed to notice him or care for him more than if he had been a dog4 ,,description ,,of ,,amoy ,,and ,,amoy ,,island ,another letter to the same congregation a few months later reads3 ,the first impression on the mind of an individual in approaching the shores of ,china from the south1 and sailing along the coast1 as far north as ,amoy1 is anything but favorable4 ,so great is the contrast between the lovely scenery and dense vegetation of many of the islands of the ,indian ,archipelago1 and the barren and worn-out hills which line the southern part of the coast of ,china1 that in the whole range of human language it would seem scarcely possible to find a more inappropriate term than the term ',celestial' whereby to designate this great empire4 ,neither is this unfavorable opinion removed immediately on landing4 ,the style of building is so inferior1 the streets are so narrow and filthy1 the countenances of the great mass of the people1 at least to a newcomer1 are so destitute of intelligent expression1 and the bodies and clothing1 and habits of the multitudes are so uncleanly1 that one is compelled to exclaim in surprise1 ',are these the people who stand at the top of pagan civilization1 and who look upon all men as barbarous1 except themselves8' ,besides1 everything looks old4 ,buildings1 temples1 even the rocks and the hills have a peculiar appearance of age and seem to be falling into decay4 ,i am happy to say1 however1 that as we become better acquainted with the country and the people1 many of these unfavorable impressions are removed4 ,after passing a little to the north of ,amoy1 the appearance of the coast entirely changes4 ,even in this mountainous region we have valleys and plains1 which would suffer but little by comparison with any other country for beauty and fertility4 ,i also love the scenery around the city of ,amoy very much4 ,the city is situated on the western side of an island of the same name4 ,this part of the island in its general appearance is very similar to the coast of which ,i have spoken4 ,it is rocky and mountainous and barren4 ,there are1 however1 among these barren hills many small fertile spots1 situated in the ravines and along the watercourses1 which on account of their high state of cultivation form a lovely contrast with the surrounding barrenness4 ,wherever the ,chinese1 at least in this part of the ,empire1 can find a watercourse1 by cultivation they will turn the most barren soil into a garden4 ,the sides of the ravines are leveled by digging down1 and walling up1 if necessary1 forming terraces or small fields1 the one above the other4 ,these small fields are surrounded by a border of impervious clay4 ,the water is conducted into the higher of these terraces1 and from them conducted into those which are lower1 as the state of the crops may demand4 ,often a field of paddy may be seen inundated1 while the next field below1 in which perhaps the sweet potato is growing1 is kept perfectly dry4 ,among the hills there is much of picturesque scenery1 and some that is truly sublime4 ,the ,buddhists have exhibited an exquisite taste for natural scenery1 in selecting such places for the situation of many of their temples4 ,,ancestral ,,worship ,their respect for ancestors is very great1 so much so that the species of idolatry which has by far the strongest hold upon their minds is ancestral worship4 ,this is the stronghold by which ,satan maintains his supremacy over the minds of the people1 and this we may expect will be the last to give way to the power of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,one may hold up their gods to ridicule and they will laugh at his remarks1 but they do not love to hear the worship of their ancestors spoken against4 ,this worship1 after the period of mourning is over1 consists chiefly in offering at stated times various articles of food to the spirits of the deceased1 and in burning various kinds of paper1 as a substitute for money1 by which these spirits are supplied with that most convenient article4 ,natural affection and selfishness unite to strengthen their attachment to this worship4 ,it is as necessary for the happiness of the souls of the dead1 in the opinion of the ,chinese1 as is the saying of the mass in the opinion of a ,roman ,catholic4 ,without these attentions the souls of the deceased are in a sort of purgatory2 wandering about in want and wretchedness4 ,but if the desire of rendering their ancestors happy be not sufficient to secure attention to these rites1 a still more powerful motive addresses itself to their minds4 ,these wandering spirits are supposed capable of bringing misfortune and inflicting injuries on their ungrateful and impious descendants4 ,thus if a family meet with reverses1 the cause is often attributed to the want of attention to the souls of the deceased ancestors1 or to the fact that the sites of their graves have not been judiciously selected1 and the dissatisfied spirits are taking vengeance for these neglects or mistakes4 ,another consideration which seems to exert much influence1 is that if they neglect the spirits of their ancestors1 their descendants may neglect them4 ,for the present life they can think of no higher happiness than success in acquiring wealth1 and the highest happiness after death consists in having sons to supply the wants of their spirits4 ,these are the two objects that engross the highest aspirations of a ,chinaman4 ,,infanticide ,this will account in part for the barbarous custom of infanticide which prevails to so lamentable an extent among these heathen4 ,only female infants are destroyed4 ,while the parents are living the son may be of pecuniary advantage to them1 and after their death1 he can attend to the rites of their souls1 and even after his death1 through him the parents may have descendants to perform the ancestral rites4 ,a daughter on the contrary1 it is supposed1 will only prove a burden in a pecuniary point of view1 and after she is married she is reckoned to the family of her husband4 ,her children1 also1 except her husband otherwise order1 are only expected to attend to the spirits of their paternal ancestors4 ,some have denied the existence of the practice of infanticide among the ,chinese1 or1 they have asserted that if it does exist1 the practice of it is very unusual4 ,every village which we visit in this region gives evidence that such persons are not acquainted with this part of the empire4 ,a few days ago a company of us visited the village of ,kokia4 ,it is situated on the northern extremity of ,amoy ,island1 and contains1 perhaps1 two thousand inhabitants4 ,after walking through the village we sat down for a short time under the shade of a large banyan tree4 ,a large concourse of people soon gathered around us to see the foreigners and hear what they had to say4 ,in this crowd we found by counting nearly a hundred boys1 and but two or three girls4 ,also when walking through the village very few girls were to be seen4 ,the custom of binding the feet of the girls1 which greatly affects their power of locomotion1 would account for more boys being seen than girls1 but will not account for the disparity noticed4 ,we therefore inquired the cause of this disparity4 ,they answered with laughter that female children are killed4 ,the same question has been asked again and again at the various villages we have visited and the same answer obtained4 ,this answer is given freely and apparently without any idea that the practice is wicked1 until they are taught so by us4 ,the result of this one practice on the morals of the people may readily be imagined4 ,it accustoms the mind to acts of cruelty and it prepares the way for impurity and wickedness in forms that are never dreamed of in ,christian countries4 ,in this connection an extract from ,dr4 ,david ,abeel's99 diary may be of value4 ,footnote 993 ,david ,abeel was the founder of the ,american ,reformed ,mission at ,amoy in #ahdb4 ,today had a conversation with one of the merchants who come to ,kolongsu for trade1 on the subject of female infanticide4 ,assuming a countenance of as much indifference as possible1 ,i asked him how many of his own children he had destroyed3 he instantly replied1 ',two4' ,i asked him whether he had spared any4 ,he said1 ',one ,i have saved4' ,i then inquired how many brothers he had4 ',eight1' was the answer4 ,i asked him how many children his eldest brother had destroyed4 ',five or six4' ,i inquired of the second1 third and all the rest2 some had killed four or five1 some two or three1 and others had none to destroy4 ,i then asked how many girls were left among them all4 ',three1' was the answer4 ,and how many do you think have been strangled at birth8 ',probably from twelve to seventeen4' ,i wished to know the standing and employment of his brothers4 ,one1 he said1 had attained a literary degree at the public examinations2 the second was a teacher2 one was a sailor2 and the rest were petty merchants like himself4 ,thus1 it was evidently not necessity but a cold inhuman calculation of the gains and losses of keeping them1 which must have led these men to take the lives of their own offspring4 ,mr4 ,boone's teacher's sister with her own hand destroyed her first three children successively4 ,the fourth was also a girl1 but the mother was afraid to lay violent hands on it1 believing it to be one of the previous ones reappearing in a new body4 ,the names of the five districts in the ,chinchew prefecture are ,tong-an1 ,an-khoe1 ,chin-kiang1 ,hui-an and ,lam-an4 ,amoy is situated in the ,chin-chew prefect4 ,from a comparison with many other parts of the country1 there is reason to believe that a greater number of children are destroyed at birth in the ,tong-an district than in any other of this department1 probably more than in any other of this department1 probably more than in any other part of the province of equal extent and populousness4 ,in the ,tong-an district ,i have inquired of persons from forty different towns and villages4 ,the number destroyed varies exceedingly in different places1 the extremes extending from seventy and eighty percent to ten percent4 ,the average proportion destroyed in all these places amounting to nearly four-tenths or exactly thirty-nine percent4 ,in seventeen of these forty towns and villages1 my informants declare that one-half or more are deprived of existence at birth4 ,from the inhabitants of six places in ,chin-kiang1 and of four places in ,hui-an1 if ,i am correctly informed1 the victims of infanticide do not exceed sixteen percent4 ,in the seven districts of the ,chiang-chiu prefecture the number is rather more than one-fourth or less than three-tenths4 ,there is reason to fear that scarcely less than twenty-five percent are suffocated almost at the first breath4 ,it is altogether probable that this vice is just as prevalent now4 ,the scarcity of girls in nearly all the towns and villages and the exorbitant rates demanded for marriageable daughters in some districts1 only render sad confirmation to what ,drs4 ,abeel and ,talmage wrote two score and more years ago4 ,,is ,,china ,,to ,,be ,,won1 ,,and ,,how8 ,mr4 ,talmage continues3 ,i cannot close this letter without saying a word in reference to our prospects of success4 ,the moral condition of this people1 their spiritual apathy1 their attachment to the superstitious rites of their ancestors1 together with the natural depravity of the human heart1 and at the same time their language being one of the most difficult1 perhaps the most difficult of acquisition of any spoken language1 all combine to forbid1 it would seem1 all hope of ever ,christianizing this empire4 ,but that which is impossible with men is possible with ,god4 ,he who has commanded us to preach the ,gospel to every creature1 has connected with it a promise that ,he will be always with us to the end of the world4 ,the stone cut out without hands1 we are told by the prophet1 became a great mountain and filled the whole earth4 ,the kingdom which the ,god of heaven has set up 'shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand for ever4' ,thus1 whatever may be the prospect before us1 according to human reasoning1 we have 'a more sure word of prophecy4' ,resting upon this we can have no doubt in reference to the complete triumph of the cause of ,christ1 even over the land of ,sinim4 ,in connection with such prophecies and promises we have many facts to encourage us4 ,the people are accessible and friendly1 and willing to listen to our doctrines4 ,the superiority of ,christianity to their systems of religion1 sometimes from conviction and sometimes perhaps only from politeness1 they often admit4 ,already a few converts have been gathered into the visible ,church1 and there are others who are seeking to know the way of life more perfectly4 ,those who have been received into the ,church are letting their light shine4 ,the conduct of some who have heard the truth1 reminds us forcibly of the conduct of the woman at the well of ,samaria1 and of the conduct of ,andrew and ,philip when they first found the ,messias4 ,it is thus that this empire and most other heathen countries must be evangelized4 ,the work must be done by the natives4 ,the ,church in ,christian lands1 by her missionaries1 can only lay the foundation and render some little assistance in rearing the superstructure4 ,she can never carry forward the work to completion4 ,she can never furnish the heathen nations with missionaries of the cross in sufficient numbers to supply them with pastors1 neither is it necessary that she should4 ,the ,christian is a light shining in a dark place4 ,especially is it true among the heathen1 that every disciple of ,christ is as 'a city set on a hill which cannot be hid4' ,his neighbors and acquaintances must observe the change in his conduct4 ,he no longer worships their gods4 ,he no longer observes any of their superstitious rites4 ,he is no longer a slave to their immoralities4 his example must tell4 ,but many of the converts will have gifts to make known the ,gospel1 and will eagerly embrace these gifts in order to rescue their dying countrymen4 ,already have we examples of this4 ,such converts1 also1 in some respects1 may be more efficient than the missionary4 ,they can go where we cannot1 and reach those who are entirely beyond our influence4 ,they are better acquainted with the language4 ,they understand the customs of the people more thoroughly4 ,they remember what were the greatest difficulties and objections which proved the greatest obstacles to their reception of the ,gospel1 and they know how these difficulties were removed and these objections answered4 ,besides1 they have all the advantages which a native must be expected to possess over a foreigner arising from the prejudices of the people4 ,perhaps it may be necessary to guard against a wrong inference1 which might be hastily deduced from the facts just stated4 ,the fact that the natives are to be the principal laborers in evangelizing this empire1 does not in the least remove the obligation of the ,church to quicken and redouble all her efforts1 or supersede the necessity for such efforts4 ,it will be many years before this necessity will cease to exist4 ,the ,churches in ,christian lands1 in resolving to undertake the evangelization of this empire1 have engaged in great work4 ,in obedience to the command of their ,master they have undertaken to rear a vast superstructure1 the foundation of which is to be laid entirely by themselves1 and on the erection of which they must bestow their care and assistance4 ,this work has been commenced under favorable auspices1 but the foundation cannot yet be said to be laid4 ,more laborers must be sent forth4 ,they should be sent out in multitudes if they can be found4 ,they must acquire the language so that they can communicate freely with the people4 ,they must proclaim the message of the ,gospel from house to house1 in the highways and market-places1 wherever they can find an audience1-until converts are multiplied4 ,schools must be established1 and the doctrines of the ,gospel be instilled into the minds of the children and youth4 ,we must have a native ministry instructed and trained up from their childhood according to the doctrines of the ,gospel before they will be capable of taking the sole charge of this work4 ,until all this has taken place the churches may not slacken any of their efforts2 nay1 to accomplish this there must be an increase of effort beyond all that the churches have ever yet put forth4 ,during the year #ahdh he sent a letter to the ,society of ,inquiry of the ,theological ,seminary1 ,new ,brunswick1 ,new ,jersey4 ,it is yet a 'day of small things' with us4 ,our work thus far has been chiefly of a preparatory nature4 ,this will probably be the case for some time to come4 ,there have been just enough conversions to teach us that ,god is with us and will own the instrumentality which ,he ,himself has appointed for the salvation of men1 and to encourage us not to faint in our work4 ,we have a vast amount of prejudice and superstition to remove--prejudice and superstition which has been growing and consolidating for forty centuries1 and has become an essential ingredient in the character of the people and part of almost every emotion and conception of their minds4 ,at present both officials and people are very friendly1 and we are permitted to preach the ,gospel without hindrance4 ,but we cannot tell how long this state of things will continue4 ,when the operation of the leaven has become manifest1 we must expect opposition4 ,we cannot expect that the great adversary of ,god and men will relinquish this the strongest hold of his empire on earth1 without a mighty struggle4 ,we must yet contend with 'principalities and1 powers and spiritual wickedness in high places4' ,,worship ,,of ,,the ,,emperor4 ,the system of idolatry is as closely connected with the civil government of ,china1 ,i suppose1 as ever it was with ancient ,rome4 ,the emperor may be called the great ,high-priest of the nation4 ,he and he only is permitted to offer sacrifice and direct worship to the ,supreme ,being4 ,the description which ,paul has given of the 'man of sin1' with but little variation may be applied to him4 ',he exalts himself above all that is called ,god or that is worshiped1 so that he as ,god1 sitteth in the temple of ,god1 shewing himself that he is ,god4' ,he has arrogated to himself the title which expresses the highest thought of divinity known to the conceptions of the ,chinese mind4 ,he is superior to all gods1 except the great ,supreme4 ,all others he appoints1 designates their business and dethrones them at his pleasure4 ,in the city of ,amoy is a temple dedicated to the worship of the emperor and containing a tablet as representative of his person4 ,on certain days of the year the officers of government are required to repair to this temple1 and offer that religious homage which is due to ,god alone4 ,now to remove these prejudices and superstitions and to carry to the final triumph this warfare1 which we must wage with those in 'high places1' will not be the work of a few years4 ,we might well despair of ever possessing the land1 where such 'sons of ,anak' dwell1 were it not that the ark of ,god is with us and ,his command has been given1 ',go up and possess it4' ,but we look to you1 my brethren1 for assistance and reinforcement in this the cause of our common ,lord1 not only to fill the places of those who fall at their post or are disabled in the conflict1 but also that we may extend our lines and conduct the siege with more effect4 ,if you desire a field where you may find scope and employment for every variety of talent1 and where you may prove yourselves faithful soldiers of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i know of no place whence can come to you a more urgent call than from this vast empire4 ,,iv4 ,,light ,,and ,,shade4 ,,the ,,chiang-,,chiu ,,valley4 ,among the jottings in ,mr4 ,talmage's diary for #ahdg-ahdh we find mention of a tour to ,chiang-chiu on ,september #bc1 #ahdg1 in company with ,messrs4 ,pohlman1 ,doty and ,lloyd4 ,chiang-chiu is a large city of #bjj1jjj inhabitants1 situated on a wide river1 #cj miles west of ,amoy4 ,he writes3 ,wherever we went we were accompanied by an immense throng of people4 ,the most of them ,i suppose had never seen a white face4 ,but few ,europeans have visited the city4 ,the city has an extensive wall1 wider and ,i think more cleanly streets1 and is larger than ,amoy4 ,in the rear of the city there are three watch towers4 ,they are situated on very elevated ground4 ,from these we had a very delightful view of the city and surrounding country4 ,the scenery1 it seemed to me1 was the most beautiful ,i had ever witnessed4 ,within the circle of our vision lay that immense city with its extensive walls1 its temples and pagoda1 its river1 bridges and boats1 its gardens1 its trees and shrubbery1 and its densely crowded streets4 ,surrounding the city was spread out an extensive valley of some ten or fifteen miles in width and some twenty or twenty-five in length1 covered with luxuriant vegetation4 ,through the midst of the valley might be marked the meandering track of the ,chiang-chiu river1 the whole region beautifully variegated with fruit trees1 shade trees1 and villages4 ,still further on1 in every direction1 our view was bounded by lofty hills whose cloud capped tops seemed as pillars on which the heavens rested4 ,nature had done her best to make this region a terrestrial paradise4 ,on a subsequent trip to ,chiang-chiu1 ,mr4 ,talmage writes3 ,the valley of the ,chiang-chiu river is one of the most beautiful regions ,i ever saw4 ,it is densely populated4 ,in every direction are villages1 ,i might almost say without number1 rendered most beautiful by their plentiful supply of large banyans and various other trees of luxuriant foliage4 ,the intermediate spaces between the villages are fields covered with vegetation most dense and beautiful4 ,through the centre of this scene may be traced the course of the river with its numberless canals1 like the ,nile of ,egypt1 giving fertility wherever nature or the art of man conducts its waters4 ,,breaking ,,and ,,burning ,,of ,,idols4 ,feb4 #bg1 #ahdh4 ,today an old lady and her two sons declared themselves to be worshipers of ,jesus by presenting their idols to ,bro4 ,pohlman4 ,on the evening of the last day of their last year they had burnt their ancestral tablets4 ,it was an interesting sight1 said ,bro4 ,pohlman1 to see the old lady1 supported by one of her sons1 breaking her idols and making a voluntary and public surrender of them at the chapel4 ,march #ast4 ,when the old lady returned from the chapel on ,sunday evening she was full of zeal1 and began preaching to her neighbors on the folly of idolatry4 ,she was so successful that another old lady living in the same house with her has made a bonfire and burned all her idols except one4 ,this1 being made of clay1 was not combustible4 ,this she presented to ,pohlman today4 ,he asked her whether she gave it up willingly4 ,she said she rejoiced to do it4 ,she said she had not yet destroyed her ancestral tablets4 ,pohlman told her he did not wish her to do it rashly4 ,she must reflect on the subject1 and when she became convinced that the worship of them was a sin against ,god she must give them up immediately4 ,march #bith4 ,this afternoon ,bro4 ,hickok and wife and ,bro4 ,maclay arrived at ,amoy on their way to ,foochow4 ,they had a long passage from ,hongkong1 having been out twenty-nine days4 ,the distance from ,hongkong to ,amoy is less than three hundred miles1 and is made in twenty-four hours by an ordinary coast steamer4 ,,the ,,chinese ,,boat ,,race ,,and ,,its ,,origin4 ,june #eth4 ,monday4 ,to-day being the fifth day of the fifth month 7,chinese71 was the festival of dragon boat-racing4 ,several dragon boats filled with rowers1 rather paddlers1 were contesting this afternoon in the harbor4 ,the water was thronged with boats filled with ,chinese to see the sport4 ,many of these boats1 and almost all the junks in the neighborhood1 were decked with green branches1 also with streamers flying4 ,the origin of this festival is said to be as follows3 ,in very ancient times one of the first officers1 perhaps ,prime ,minister of government1 gave offense to the emperor4 ,the emperor banished him4 ,he was so downcast on account of the emperor's displeasure that he went and drowned himself4 ,the emperor afterwards repented of his act1 and on inquiry after the man learned that he had drowned himself4 ,he sent out boats in every direction to search for his body1 and also to make offerings to his spirit4 ,his body was not found4 ,but from that time to this his body is thus searched for every year and his spirit thus appeased4 ,this celebration is universal throughout the empire and wherever there are colonies of ,chinese1 throughout the islands of the 7,east ,indian7 ,archipelago4 ,the same good feeling continues to exist at ,amoy as formerly4 ,we are on the best of terms1 so far as we can judge1 with all classes1 the officials and people4 ,the mandarins receive our calls and return their cards4 ,all of them but one have visited us at our houses4 ,some of them call on us quite frequently4 ,this places us on a high vantage ground4 ,the people will not fear to listen to us1 attend our meetings1 and visit us at our houses1 as they would if the mandarins kept aloof from us4 ,the same good feeling towards foreigners seems to extend far into the interior4 ,at least we go from1 village to village wherever we please without hindrance1 and are always treated with kindness4 ,,the ,,chinese ,,beggar ,,system4 ,i have to-day been making some inquiries of my teacher concerning the system by which the beggars of ,amoy are governed4 ,the truth seems as follows3 ,there are very many beggars in the city4 ,in each ward there is a head-man or chief called ',chief of the ,beggars4' ,he derives his office from the ',hai-hong1' or the superior local magistrate4 ,sometimes the office is conferred as an act of benevolence on an individual1 who from sickness or other causes has met with reverses of fortune4 ,sometimes it is purchased4 ,there being eighteen wards in the city of ,amoy1 of course there are eighteen such head-men4 ,their office is not honorable1 but there is considerable profit connected with it4 ,the head-men hold their office for life1 or until removed for bad behavior4 ,they get certificates of office from the ',hai-hong1' and on the change of that functionary it is necessary to get the stamp of his successor attached to their certificates4 ,their income is derived from various sources4 ,monthly they call on the merchants and shopkeepers1 who by paying down a sufficient amount are freed from the annoyance of beggars during the month4 ,if a beggar enters one of these establishments he is pointed to a card which is posted up in some conspicuous place1 and is a certificate from the 'chief of the beggars' of that ward that a sufficient amount of beggar money has been paid down for the month4 ,the 'chiefs of the beggars' also receive money from a man or his family when he is about to marry1 also from the family of the bride4 ,they also receive money after the death and burial of the parents or any old member of a family2 also from men who are advanced to literary honors1 or who receive official promotion ,in any of the above cases1 if any individual fail to agree with the 'chief of the beggars' of his ward and pay what is considered a sufficient amount of money 7the amount varies with the importance of the occasion and the wealth of the parties71 he may expect a visit from a posse of beggars1 who will give him much annoyance by their continual demands4 ,the 'chiefs of the beggars' give a part of the money which they receive to the beggars under them4 ,my teacher thinks there are about two thousand beggars in the city of ,amoy4 ,there is a small district belonging to the city of ,amoy called ',the ,beggars' ,camp4' ,the most of the inhabitants of this place are beggars4 ,these beggars go about the city seeking a living1 clothed in rags and covered with filth and sores1 the most disgusting and pitiable objects ,i ever saw4 ,,two ,,noble ,,men ,,summoned ,,hence4 ,on the #fth of ,december ,rev4 ,john ,lloyd1 of the ,american ,presbyterian mission1 died of typhus fever after an illness of two weeks4 ,mr4 ,talmage makes this record of him3 ,dec4 #h1 #ahdh4 ,rev4 ,john ,lloyd was born in the ,state of ,pennsylvania on the first of ,oct41 #ahac1 which made him thirty-five years1 two months1 and five days at the time of his death4 ,he was a man of fine abilities4 ,his mind was well stored with useful knowledge and was well disciplined4 ,he was most laborious in study1 very careful to improve his time4 ,he was mastering the language with rapidity4 ,his vocabulary was not so large as that of some of the other brethren1 but he had a very large number of words and phrases at his command1 and was pronounced by the ,chinese to speak the language more accurately than any other foreigner in the place4 ,they even said of him that it could not be inferred simply from his voice1 unless his face was seen1 that he was a foreigner4 ,he was a man of warm heart1 very strong in his friendship1 very kind in his disposition1 and a universal favorite among the ,chinese4 ,i never knew a man that improved more by close intimacy4 ,his modesty1 which may be called his great fault1 was such that it was necessary to become well acquainted with him before he could be properly appreciated4 ,but it has pleased the ,master of the harvest to call him from the field just as he became fully qualified to be an efficient laborer4 ,what a lesson this1 that we must not overestimate our importance in the work to which ,god has called us4 ,he can do without us4 ,it seems necessary that ,he should give the ,church lesson upon lesson that she may not forget her dependence upon ,him4 ,early in #ahdi the brethren were called to mourn the loss of one of the most devoted pioneers of the ,amoy mission1 the ,rev4 ,william ,j4 ,pohlman4 ,mr4 ,talmage writes3 ,feb4 #hth4 ,on ,monday night at twelve o'clock ,i was called up to receive the sad intelligence that our worst fears in reference to ,pohlman were confirmed4 ,he perished on the morning of the #eth or #fth ult4 ,he embarked on the #b;d ult4 from ,hongkong in the schooner ,omega4 ,on the morning of probably the #eth1 at about two o'clock1 she struck near ,breaker ,point1 one hundred and twenty miles from ,hongkong4 ,a strong wind was blowing at the time1 so that every effort to get the ship off was unavailing4 ,she was driven farther on the sand and fell over on her side4 ,her long boat and one quarter boat were carried away1 and her cabin filled with water4 ,the men on board clung to the vessel until morning4 ,the remaining boat was then lowered4 ,those of the crew who were able to swim were directed to swim to the shore4 ,the captain1 first and second officers1 and ,pohlman entered the boat end those of the crew who could not swim also received permission to enter4 ,but a general rush was made for the boat1 by which it was overturned1 and those who could not swim1 ,pohlman among the number1 perished4 ,the captain attempted to reach the shore by swimming1 and would have succeeded1 but was met by the natives4 ,they were eager for plunder1 and seized the captain to plunder him of his clothes4 ,while they were stripping him of his clothes they dragged him through the water with his head under1 by which he was drowned4 ,about twenty-five of the crew succeeded in reaching the shore in safety4 ,after being stripped of their clothes1 they were permitted to escape4 ,afterwards1 on arriving at a village they were furnished with some rags4 ,after suffering much from fatigue and hunger they arrived at ,canton1 overland1 on the #agth ult4 ,this event has cast gloom again over our small circle4 ,but one month previous to his death1 ,pohlman with myself had closed the eyes of dear ,lloyd4 ,oh1 how deeply we do feel1 and shall for a long time feel this loss4 ,feb4 #aath4 ,on ,sunday afternoon our new church was consecrated to the worship of the only true ,god1 the first building built for this purpose in ,amoy4 ,mr4 ,young preached the sermon4 ,it was also a funeral sermon for ,mr4 ,pohlman4 ,the house was crowded with people4 ,very many could not get into the building4 ,there was some noise and confusion4 ,i think the majority1 however1 were desirous to hear4 ,in a letter to ,drs4 ,anderson 7,dr4 ,anderson was one of the early ,secretaries of the ,american ,board of ,commissioners for ,foreign ,missions47 and ,de ,witt1 speaking of ,pohlman's death1 he says3 ,our hearts bleed4 ,god has seen fit to send upon us stroke after stroke4 ,oh1 when will ,he stay ,his hand8 ,but we will not murmur4 ,it is ,god who hath done this4 ,his ways are inscrutable4 ,we gaze upon them in mute astonishment4 ,we may quote as peculiarly applicable to our present circumstances the remarks which this brother made at the grave of him who was called away a month previous4 ',death1' said he1 'is always a sad event1 and is often peculiarly distressing4 ,it is so in the instance before us4 ,there is a sad breach in our little circle at this station4 ,situated as we are here1 every member of our small society tells upon the happiness of the whole4 ,our number is limited and less than a score4 ,we have few bosom friends1 few to cheer and encourage us1 few to whom to tell our sorrows and our joys4 ,here we are far away from those we love1 away from dear friends and kindred and those tender associations which make society so delightful at home4 ,hence we feel deeply any breach made in our little circle4 ,in proportion as our number is diminished in the same proportion is there a decrease in the endearments of friendship and love4 ,more especially is this the case when the departed was possessed of social virtues and qualified to make all around him agreeable and happy4 ,we mourn also for these poor deluded heathen4 ,they have sustained an incalculable loss4 ,i feel it impossible to give an adequate description of his character4 ,he felt that in laboring for the heathen he was engaged in a work of the highest moment4 ,thereto he bent every energy of mind and body4 ,that which1 by receiving the word of ,god1 we are made theoretically to acknowledge1 by the dispensations of ,his ,providence-we are made practically to feel1 that man is nothing-that ,god is ,all in ,all4' ,god's dealings with this mission would seem to be enough to arouse our ,church4 ,heretofore ,he has given success to ,his servants4 ,he has given us favor with the authorities and with the people4 ,the ,church has seemed to be satisfied with this4 ,she has thanked ,god for ,his smiles1 but has made little effort to increase the number of her laborers as fast as the demand for them increased4 ,now ,god is trying another plan4 ,her laborers are dying off and the question comes to her1 not merely whether she will advance or not1 but1 whether she will retain that which she has already gained4 ,she has volunteered in a glorious warfare4 ,will she hold the positions she has won1 and make further conquests1 or will she permit her soldiers to die at their posts without being replaced1 and thus retire from the field8 ,important interests are at stake4 ,the honor of our ,church is at stake4 ,the salvation of souls is at stake4 ,it is a crisis with our mission4 ,we cannot endure the thought that the labors of those faithful servants who have been called home shall be in a great measure lost by neglect4 ,we have received lately impressive lessons of the uncertainty of human life4 ,the thought steals over us that we1 too1 are liable at any moment to be cut down in the midst of our labors4 ,this liability is increased by the amount of labor which necessarily devolves upon us4 ,now we are only two in number4 ,as for myself ,i am only beginning to stammer in this difficult language4 ,this1 too1 in a field where there is labor enough to be done to employ all the men you can send us4 ,you will not think it strange then that we plead earnestly4 ,our new church edifice was completed soon after ,brother ,pohlman left for ,hongkong4 ,as he had done so much of the work in gathering the congregation and had originated the idea of the building and had watched its erection with so much interest1 we were desirous that he should be present at its consecration4 ,we therefore delayed opening the building for worship until we received the definite news of his death4 ,in an address on ,reminiscences of ,missionaries and ,mission ,work1 delivered by ,dr4 ,talmage during his later years1 he refers to the early missionaries at ,amoy in these words3 ,the men ,god gave the ,church were just the men needed to awaken her missionary spirit and shape her mission work4 ,so for laying the foundation and shaping the plan of the structure ,he would have us erect at ,amoy ,he gave us three men1 just the men needed for the work1-,david ,abeel1 ,william ,j4 ,pohlman and ,elihu ,doty4 ,the more ,i meditate on what they said and wrote and did and suffered in the early days of that work1 and see whereunto it is growing1 the more am ,i impressed with the fact that they were wonderful men1 just the men for the time1 place1 and circumstances1 and therefore evidently ,god's gift4 ,dr4 ,abeel was the pioneer of the ,amoy ,mission4 ,during the greater part of the years of his manhood1 he struggled with disease1 and his whole life on earth was comparatively short1 yet the ,lord enabled him to accomplish more work than most men accomplish during a much longer life4 ,his last field of labor was ,amoy1 entering it in ,january1 #ahdb1 when the port had just been thrown open and while the ,british army was still there1 and leaving it in ,january1 #ahde4 ,in that short time1 notwithstanding interruptions from sickness and of voyages in search of health1 or rather to stave off death till others were ready to take his place1 he laid a good foundation1 doing a work that told and was lasting4 ,i met him only once4 ,it was at his father's house in ,new ,brunswick1 after his work at ,amoy-after all his public work was done and he was only waiting to be summoned home4 ,when ,i afterwards went to ,amoy1 ,i found his name very fragrant1 not only among ,europeans and ,americans1 but also among the ,chinese4 ,he had baptized none1 but a goodly number of those afterwards baptized had received their first impressions concerning ,christianity and their first instructions therein from him4 ,messrs4 ,doty and ,pohlman with their families came from ,borneo to ,amoy1 arriving in ,june1 #ahdd1 about six months before ,dr4 ,abeel was compelled to leave4 ,we have heard of places so healthy1 that it is said there was difficulty to find material wherewith to start cemeteries4 ,amoy1 rather ,kolongsu1 where all the ,europeans then resided1 in those days was not such a place4 ,it is said that of all the foreign residents only one escaped the prevailing fever4 ,the mortality was very great4 ,in a year and a half from the time of their arrival at ,amoy1 ,mr4 ,doty was on his way to the ,united ,states with two of his own and two of ,mr4 ,pohlman's little ones4 ,the other members of their families--the mothers and the children1 all that was mortal of them--were ,iying in the ,mission cemetery on ,kolongsu2 and to 'hold the fort1' so far as our ,mission was concerned1 ,pohlman was left alone1 and well he held it4 ,he had a new dialect to acquire1 yet when health allowed1 he daily visited his little mission chapel1 and twice on the ,sabbath1 to preach the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,he was a man of work1 of great activity4 ,when ,i arrived at ,amoy in #ahdg1 he was suffering from ophthalmia4 ,much of his reading and writing had to be done for him by others4 ,i was accustomed to read to him an hour in the morning from six to seven4 ,another read to him an hour at noon from twelve to one4 ,he was still subject to occasional attacks of the old malarial fever4 ,besides all this he was now alone in the world1 his whole family gone1 two of his little ones in his native land1 then very much farther away from ,china than now1 and the others1 mother and children1 sleeping their last sleep4 ,yet he was the life of our little mission company4 ,do you ask why8 ,he lived very close to ,god1 and therefore was enabled to bow to the ,divine will1 to use his own language1 'with sweet submission4' ,pohlman's term of service1 too1 was short4 ,he was called away in his thirty-seventh year4 ,his work at ,amoy was less than five years4 ,it1 too1 much of it1 was foundation work1 though he was permitted to see the walls just beginning to rise4 ,two of the first converts were baptized by him1 and many others received from him their early ,christian instruction4 ,the first1 and still by far the best church-building at ,amoy1 which is also the first church building erected in ,china expressly for ,chinese ,protestant ,christian worship1 may be called his monument4 ,it was specially in answer to his appeal that the money1 #c1jjj1 was contributed4 ,it was under his supervision that the building was erected4 ,to it he gave very much toil and care4 ,the house was nearly ready when he took his last voyage to ,hongkong1 and he was hastening back to dedicate it when ,god took him4 ,his real monument1 however is more precious and lasting than church-buildings1 as precious and lasting as the souls he was instrumental in saving1 and the spiritual temple whose foundation he helped to lay4 ,there were many who remembered him with very warm affection long after he was gone4 ,among them ,i remember one1 an old junk captain1 who in his later years1 speaking of heaven1 was wont to say1 ',i shall see ,teacher ,pohlman there2 ,i shall see ,teacher ,pohlman there4' ,v4 ,,at ,,the ,,foot ,,of ,,the ,,bamboos ,the sad and sudden departure of ,mr4 ,pohlman so affected a maiden sister1 ,miss ,pohlman1 then at ,amoy1 as to unsettle her mind and necessitate an immediate return to the ,united ,states4 ,no lady friend could accompany her4 ,it was decided that ,mr4 ,talmage take passage on the same ship and act as guardian and render what assistance he could4 ,the ship arrived at ,new ,york ,august #bc1 #ahdi4 ,mr4 ,talmage made an extensive tour on behalf of ,missions in ,china among the ,reformed churches in ,new ,york1 ,new ,jersey1 and ,pennsylvania4 ,jan4 #ae1 #ahej4 ,was married at twelve ,m4 in ,first ,presbyterian ,church at ,elizabeth1 ,new ,jersey1 by ,dr4 ,n4 ,murray1 to ,miss ,abby ,f4 ,woodruff4 ,started immediately with my wife on a trip to ,seneca ,county1 ,new ,york4 ,march #af1 #ahej4 ,in the forenoon accompanied by many dear friends we embarked on board the ship ,tartar from ,new ,york bound for ,china4 ,july #afth4 ,arrived safely at ,amoy1 for which our hearts are full of gratitude to ,him who has watched over us on the deep and conducted us safely through every danger4 ,though the entire ,reformed ,mission at ,amoy then consisted of only three members1 ,mr4 ,doty and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,talmage1 still they believed in colonizing4 ,mr4 ,talmage secured a ,chinese house and shop a mile or more away from the original headquarters and this became the missionary's home and preaching place4 ,it was on the north side of the city in a densely populated neighborhood known as ,tek-chhiu-,kha1 or ,at the ,foot of the ,bamboos4 ,it fronted one of the main thoroughfares of the city4 ,it was near the water's edge at the mooring-place of junks from the many-peopled districts of ,tong-an and ,lam-an4 ,the house and shop were renovated and capped with another story4 ,here ,mr4 ,talmage prayed and studied and preached and planned for nearly twenty years4 ,on this spot to-day stands a flourishing ,chinese church4 ,in a letter to ,drs4 ,anderson and ,de ,witt1 dated ,dec4 #ag1 #ahej1 ,mr4 ,talmage thus describes their new home3 ,our house is pleasantly situated1 having a good view of the inner part of the harbor1 and of several small islands in the harbor4 ,we also have a pleasant view of the mainland beyond the harbor4 ,from our house we can count a number of villages on the mainland1 beautifully situated among large banyans4 ,we hope the situation will prove a healthy one4 ,i like the situation most of all because ,i think it well adapted to our work4 ,we are near the northern extreme of the city along the water's edge1 while the other missionaries are near the southern extreme4 ,thus on entering the harbor from ,quemoy and other islands1 near the mouth of the harbor or from the cities and villages on the seacoast1 the first foreign residence at ,amoy1 which meets the eye1 is the residence of missionaries4 ,on coming to ,amoy from the cities and villages which are inland1 again the first foreign residence which meets the eye is the residence of missionaries4 ,we are in a part of the city where the ,gospel has not yet been preached4 ,in the same letter he refers to the ,opium habit--and to the initiatory steps toward the formation of a ,romanized alphabet for the ,amoy ,vernacular4 ,the ,chinese character is learned with great difficulty4 ,it requires years of close application4 ,in ,southern ,fukien not more than one man in a hundred can read intelligently4 ,it is doubtful whether one woman in ten thousand can4 ,protestant ,christianity wants men to be able to give a reason for the hope that is in them4 ,it urges our ,lord's command1 ,search the ,scriptures4 ,it demands not only the hearing ear1 but the reading eye4 ,hence this early effort on the part of the missionaries to prepare a version of the ,scriptures and a ,christian literature in a form more readily learned by the people4 ,those early efforts were doubtful experiments even to some of the missionaries4 ,the ,chinese converts at first looked quite askance at what appeared to them an effort to supersede their highly venerated ,chinese character4 ,the ,romanized system was gradually perfected4 ,the ,chinese were gradually disabused of their prejudices4 ,to-day the most ardent advocates of the system are ,chinese pastors and elders4 ,the whole ,bible has been translated into ,amoy ,romanized colloquial4 ,an extensive literature adapted to ,christian homes and ,christian schools has grown up through the years and is contributing to the strength and progress of the ,chinese ,church to-day4 ,,opium4 ,independent of the reproach which the opium traffic casts on the ,christian religion1 we find it a great barrier in the way of evangelizing this people4 ,we cannot put confidence in an opium smoker4 ,a man who smokes it in even the smallest degree we should not dare to admit into the ,christian church4 ,more than one-half of the men at ,amoy are more or less addicted to the habit4 ,of this half of the population the missionary can have comparatively but little hope4 ,we know the grace of ,god can deliver from every vice and there have been examples of reformation even from this4 ,yet from experience when talking to an opium smoker we always feel discouraged4 ,although this be a discouraging feature in our operations here1 it should only be a stimulus to the ,church to send more laborers and put forth greater efforts to stem the tide of destruction which the ,christian world is pouring in upon the heathen4 ,independent of the principles of benevolence1 justice demands of ,christendom that the evil be stayed1 and reparation if possible be made for the injury already done4 ,if nothing more1 let there be an equivalent for whet has been received from ,china4 ,it is a startling fact1 that the money which ,christian nations have received from ,china for this one article1 an article which has done to the ,chinese nothing but incalculable injury1 far1 far exceeds all the money which has been expended by all ,protestant churches on all ,protestant missions in all parts of the heathen world since the days of the ,reformation4 ,,romanized ,,colloquial4 ,the question whether there is any way by which this people can be made a reading people1 especially by which the ,christians may be put in possession of the ,word of ,god1 and be able to read it intelligently for themselves1 has occupied much thought of the missionaries here4 ,at present most of the church members have no reading for the ,sabbath and for private meditation4 ,they may have family worship1 but they cannot at their worship read the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,some of us are now trying an experiment whether by means of the ,roman alphabet the ,sacred ,scriptures and other religious books may not be given to the ,christians and to any others who cannot read1 but who take enough of an interest in ,christianity to desire to read the ,scriptures for themselves4 ,by the use of seventeen of these letters we can express every consonant and vowel sound in the ,amoy dialect1 and by the use of a few additional marks we can designate all the tones4 ,dr4 ,james ,young1 an ,english ,presbyterian missionary physician1 has commenced teaching the colloquial1 as written with the ,roman alphabet1 in his school1 a school formerly under the care of ,mr4 ,doty4 ,from his present experience he is of opinion that boys who are at all apt in acquiring instruction1 in less than three months may be prepared for reading the ,scriptures1 with understanding4 ,i have a class of three or four adults an hour an evening four evenings in the week1 receiving instruction in the colloquial4 ,they have taken some half dozen lessons and are making good progress4 ,at present we have no printed primers or spelling-books1 and are compelled to teach principally by blackboard4 ,we are of opinion that almost every member of the church can soon learn to read by this system4 ,arrangements have been made to print part of the history of ,joseph in colloquial4 ,these are but experiments4 ,if they succeed according to our present hope1 it may be worth while to have the whole ,bible and other religious books printed in this manner4 ,a little more experience will enable us to speak with more confidence for or against the plan4 ,dec4 #bc4 ,yesterday morning my chapel was opened1 according to appointment4 ,i preached to the people my first regular sermon from the text1 ',there is one ,god and one ,mediator1' etc4 ,the room was crowded4 ,it will seat about one hundred comfortably4 ,,chinese ,,sense ,,of ,,sin4 ,march #ag1 #ahea4 ,to his brother1 ,goyn4 ,i think the ,chinese are very different in their religious feelings from many other 7perhaps from the most of other7 heathen people4 ,we have often heard of the great sacrifices which the heathen of ,india will make and the great sufferings they will impose on themselves in order to make atonement for their sins and appease the anger of the gods4 ,there may occasionally be something of the kind among the ,buddhists of ,china4 ,but ,i rather suppose that where there are any self-mortifications imposed 7which is very rare in this part of ,china71 they are imposed to secure merit1 not to atone for sin4 ,i do not remember ever to have met with an individual among the ,chinese who had any sense of sinfulness of heart1 or even any remorse for sinfulness of conduct except he was first taught it by the ,gospel4 ,it is one of the most difficult truths to convey to their minds that they are sinners against ,god4 ,we have had a few inquirers who have expressed a deep sense of sinfulness4 ,but this sense of sinfulness has come from hearing the ,gospel4 ,the way the most of those1 whom we doubt not are true ,christians1 have been led on seems to be as follows3 ,they hear the ,gospel1 presently they become convinced of its truth4 ,their first impulses then seem to be those of joy and gratitude4 ,they are like men who were born blind1 and had never mourned over their blindness1 because they had no notion of the blessing of sight4 ,presently their eyes begin to be opened and they begin to see4 ,they only think of the new blessings which they are receiving1 not of the imperfections which still remain in their vision4 ,a sense of these comes afterwards4 ,was not this sometimes the case in the days of the apostles8 ,it was not so on the day of ,pentecost4 ,the multitude were 'pricked in their hearts' because the moment they were convinced that ,jesus was the ,christ they were filled with a sense of their wickedness in crucifying ,him4 ,so it is with persons in ,christian lands when their minds become interested in the truth2 they are made to feel their wickedness in so long resisting its influences4 ,but the case seems to have been different when ,philip first carried the ,gospel to ,samaria4 ,the first effect there seems to have been that of 'great joy4' ,it seems to be thus in ,amoy4 ,the conviction of deep sinfulness comes by meditating on the ,gospel1 the work of ,christ1 etc4 ,it is the doctrine of the cross of ,christ1 after all1 which should be the theme of our discourses4 ,march #ah1 #ahea4 ,to his brother1 ,goyn4 ,they say in regard to preaching1 that when a man has nothing more to say he had better stop4 ,if this rule were carried out in conversation and letter-writing1 there would be much less said and written in the world1 than is now the case4 ,you seem to think that we missionaries can sit down at any time and write letters1 always having enough matter that will be interesting to you at home4 ,this is a good theory enough1 but facts do not always bear it out4 ,our missionary work moves on usually in the same steady manner without many ups and downs or interesting episodes 7rather a mixture of figures you will say71 which we think worthy of note4 ,i wish you folks at home could send us more men to drive on the work a little faster4 ,the door of access at ,amoy still continues as wide open as ever1 and now seems to be the time for the ,church to send her men and occupy the post1 which the ,master offers to her4 ,but the ,church at home cannot1 it seems1 look at this matter as we who are on the ground4444 ,,primitive ,,lamps ,we have no good lamps yet for the church1 consequently cannot open it in the evening4 ,but ,i have prepared some lamps for my chapel4 ,i think you would laugh to see them4 ,they are four in number4 ,two of them are merely small tumblers hung up by wires and cords4 ,by means of another wire a wick is suspended in each tumbler and the tumbler filled with oil4 ,the other two are on the same principle1 but the tumblers are hung in a kind of glass globe which is suspended by brass chains4 ,these look considerably more ornamental than the first two4 ,whether you laugh at them or not1 they answer a very good purpose4 ,they do not make the room as light as would be required in a church1 in as large a city as ,amoy is1 in the ,united ,states1 but by means of them my chapel is open on ,sunday evenings and on every other evening in the week except one4 ,the church and chapel are both open almost every afternoon in the week1 and sometimes in the mornings4 ,one1 two1 three1 or more of the converts are always ready to hold forth almost every afternoon and evening4 ,besides this1 they go to other thoroughfares frequently and preach the ,gospel as well as they are able4 ,for much of the work these converts are perhaps better adapted than ourselves4 ,they understand the superstitions of the people in their practical working1 better than we probably will ever be able to learn them4 ,,zealous ,,converts4 ,april #ad1 #ahea4 ,there are now in connection with our church thirteen converts4 ,in connection with the church of the ,london brethren there are eight4 ,two of our members1 although compelled to labor with their hands for the sustenance of themselves and their families1 yet devote the afternoons and evenings of almost every day in the week1 in making known the way of salvation to their countrymen4 ,they spend the ,sabbath also1 only omitting their labors long enough to listen to the preaching of the missionary and to partake of their noonday meal1 from early in the morning until bedtime1 in the same way1 publishing the ,gospel to their countrymen4 ,,the ,,term ,,question4 ,it was at this time that the translation of the ,bible into the ,classic ,chinese ,version1 or ,delegates' ,version as it was afterwards called1 was going on4 ,a long and heated controversy had arisen as to the proper terms in the ,chinese language to be used in translation of the words ,god and ,spirit4 ,missionaries in different parts of the empire took most opposite views and held them with the greatest tenacity4 ,the ,missionary ,boards and ,bible ,societies in ,great ,britain and ,america were deeply interested spectators4 ,the ,american ,board of ,commissioners for ,foreign ,missions and the ,american ,bible ,society became participators4 ,on what they considered satisfactory evidence they declared in favor of certain ,chinese words and characters to be used in preaching the ,gospel and in translating the ,scriptures4 ,they advised their missionaries and ,bible distributors of their decision4 ,the missionaries at ,amoy1 ,messrs4 ,john and ,alexander ,stronach1 ,london ,mission1 and ,messrs4 ,doty and ,talmage1 had very strong convictions on this subject4 ,their views agreed4 ,rev4 ,john ,stronach was one of the ,committee who prepared the ,delegates' ,version4 ,the views of the brethren at ,amoy were diametrically opposed to the decisions of the ,american ,board and ,american ,bible ,society4 ,in a long letter of eighty four pages1 addressed to ,drs4 ,anderson and ,de ,witt1 ,oct4 #ca1 #ahea1 ,mr4 ,talmage sets forth their side of the question4 ,no man can read that document1 weighty with learning and charged with moral earnestness1 but must feel the profoundest respect for the writer1 however he may dissent from his arguments4 ,he concludes as follows3 ,such are our views concerning the use of the words ',shin' and ',ling' as translations of the words ',god' and ',spirit4' ,while we hold ourselves open to conviction1 if it can be proved that we are wrong1 we at present hold these views firmly4 ,we may not have succeeded in convincing the ,prudential ,committee that our views are correct1 yet we trust we have convinced them that we have given due attention to the subject4 ,we now ask1 ,can the ,prudential ,committee expect of us1 while we hold such views1 to conform to their decision8 ,would they respect us if we did8 ,we could not respect ourselves4 ,if we could thus trifle with conscientious views on subjects of such importance1 we certainly should regard ourselves as being unworthy to be called missionaries of the ,a4 ,b4 ,c4 ,f4 ,m4 or any other ,protestant association1 and we think the ,prudential ,committee would also lose confidence in us4 ,we now feel called upon to state our views in reference to the propriety of the various missionary societies and ,bible societies and other institutions deciding for us what terms we shall use and what terms we shall not use in preaching the ,gospel to the heathen4 ,we shall state our views with the utmost kindness and with all due deference to those from whom we differ4 ,we cannot doubt that the ,prudential ,committee are willing also and desire us to state our views with the utmost frankness4 ,if our views are incorrect1 we desire that others use the same freedom in pointing out our errors4 ,our views are these3--,the societies in the ,united ,states and ,england are not called upon1 at least at the present time1 to decide this question for us4 ,those societies which have made such decision have acted prematurely4 ,in deciding this question authoritatively1 they are assuming a responsibility which we think they are not called upon to assume4 ,this responsibility belongs properly to the missionaries1 and they1 we say it with all due respect1 are much better qualified to bear this responsibility2 for they are better qualified to judge of the evidence and discover the truth in the case4 ,if they are not1 then they are not qualified to be missionaries4 ,but whether better qualified or not1 they are accountable to a higher power than that of any society under whose patronage they may labor4 ,whatever be the decision of such society1 they are still bound1 in preaching the ,gospel1 to conform to their conscientious views of truth4 ,the only way to produce agreement among ,protestant missionaries is not by authoritative decisions or even by compromise1 but by producing evidence sufficient to convince the judgment4 ,we must have evidence4 ,in selecting men for ,china or any other heathen field1 missionary societies should first examine whether they have mental ability to acquire the language of the people to whom they are going4 ,if they are deficient in this respect they should not be sent1 and if missionaries on the ground are found deficient in this respect they should be recalled4 ,the term question has not been settled to this day4 ,jan4 #bb1 #aheb4 ,to ,dr4 ,anderson4 ,i made another effort to extend our influence by going out towards evening into the streets and selecting eligible situations from which to preach to those who would assemble4 ,in this manner ,i often had opportunity to publish the glad tidings more widely than we can do in our houses of worship4 ,i found much encouragement in this work4 ,if we had the physical strength we might thus preach day after day1 from morning to night1 and find multitudes ready to listen4 ,,what ,,it ,,costs ,a ,,chinese ,,to ,,become ,a ,,christian4 ,in the same letter1 speaking of ten converts received1 he says3 ,one of them was gaining a mere living from the profits of a small shop1 in which he sold paper and candles to be used in idolatrous worship4 ,as he became acquainted with the ,gospel1 he soon found that his business was opposed to the doctrines of ,christianity4 ,a hard contest ensued1 but the power of the ,gospel finally triumphed4 ,he gave up his business and with it his only prospect of making a livelihood and for some months had no other prospect before him and his family but beggary or starvation1 except such a hope as ,god afforded4 ,another held a small office of government1 the requirements of which were inconsistent with obedience to the ,gospel1 but the perquisites of which were his only means of sustaining his family1 including an aged father4 ,in his case the conflict seemed yet more fearful and lasted a much longer time4 ,we hoped that the truth had taken a deep hold on him1 but we began to tremble for the result4 ,the love of ,christ1 as we trust1 finally gained the victory4 ,he gave up his office1 gave up his living1 gave up the world1 that he might find the salvation of his soul and confess ,christ before men4 ,so also with the most of the others4 ,they were called to sacrifice their worldly prospects1 in order to embrace the ,gospel4 ,christians in our beloved land hardly know what it is to take up the cross and follow ,christ4 ,the ridicule and obloquy with which they meet1 if indeed they meet with any1 is not a tithe of that to which the native convert here is exposed4 ,besides1 they are seldom called to suffer much temporal loss for the sake of ,christ1 but it is very different with him4 ,if he belong to the literary class1 he must give up all hope of preferment4 ,if he be in the employ of the government1 he may expect to be deprived of his employment1 if indeed he be not compelled to give it up from conscientious motives4 ,if he be a shopkeeper1 his observance of the ,lord's day will probably deprive him of many of his customers1 and if he be in the employ of others the same reason will render it very difficult for him to retain his situation4 ,,persecuted ,,for ,,christ',s ,,sake4 ,april #f1 #aheb4 ,to his brother1 ,goyn4 ,i promised to give some account of the young man who was baptized on the ,sabbath before the last4 ,his name is ,khi 7pronounced like the letter ',x' of the ,greek alphabet74 ,early last year ,i noticed a young man who began to be quite regular in attending service at my chapel4 ,i inquired of him where he lived and why he came4 ,he said he was employed in burning lime at a lime-kiln not far off from my house4 ,that ,i had met him in the street and invited him to come to the chapel4 ,of this ,i remembered nothing1 but ,i often thus invite persons to come and hear the ,gospel4 ,he said he came in consequence of that invitation4 ,but having heard the doctrine1 he found it to be good1 and had embraced it4 ,this man has since been baptized4 ,i soon learned that he had been persuading his fellow-workmen to come along with him4 ,one of these workmen was ,khi4 ,he soon determined to obey the doctrines of the ,scriptures4 ,one of these doctrines brought him into immediate collision with his employer4 ,this doctrine was1 ',remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy4' ,he refused to work on the ,sabbath day4 ,his employer told him if he did not work he would discharge him4 ,khi was not to be moved from his determination and was finally dismissed4 ,after a few ineffectual efforts to get employment1 he returned to visit his father's family2 ,they reside a day's journey from ,amoy4 ,while home he was taken ill4 ,it was two or three months before he returned again to ,amoy4 ,when he came back ,i conversed with him concerning his conduct while away4 ,he had as yet but little knowledge of the doctrines of the ,bible4 ,but ,i was much gratified at the simplicity of piety which his narration manifested4 ,he had not only endeavored to serve ,god himself1 but had endeavored to persuade others also to turn unto ,god4 ,after his return1 all his efforts to get employment failed4 ,i spoke to a mason who has done much work for us1 and who employs many workmen1 and requested him to employ ,khi for the carrying of bricks and mortar and such work1 if he had an opening for him4 ,he consented to do so and employed him for a short time4 ,but ,khi's fellow workmen did not like his religion and succeeded in getting him discharged4 ,in consequence of the dampness of the climate1 it is not safe for foreigners to live on the first floor4 ,we always live above stairs4 ,therefore ,i have rooms in the lower part of my house unoccupied4 ,khi asked me if he might sleep in one of these rooms4 ,i of course consented4 ,he had no bed or bedding4 ,i had some empty boxes in the room4 ,he put these together1 and laid some straw and a straw mat on them for his bed4 ,after he was discharged by the mason1 he endeavored to make a living by carrying potatoes about the street for sale4 ,his profits were from two to four cents a day4 ,he made no complaint4 ,he lived on potatoes4 ,winter came on2 he had no means of buying clothing1 or better food4 ,the consequence was that he became ill4 ,the room in which he slept was directly under my study4 ,almost every night ,i would hear his voice engaged in prayer1 before he retired to his straw4 ,sometimes he would pray for a long1 long time4 ,the first thing in the morning again ,i would hear his voice in prayer4 ,i knew that he was destitute1 but as he never complained1 ,i knew not how great his destitution was1 and did not dare to help him lest it would throw out inducements for others to profess ,christianity4 ,we are continually compelled to guard against this danger4 ,many of these poor people would profess ,christianity for the sake of a living4 ,one ,sabbath evening ,i heard his voice in prayer1 much earlier than usual1 and therefore it attracted particular attention4 ,presently word came to me that ,khi was ill4 ,i went down to see him4 ,it made my heart bleed to see a fellow-creature in such destitution1 one1 moreover1 who ,i hoped was a brother in ,christ ,jesus4 ,i had had no idea that his destitution was so great4 ,he seemed to be suffering under a severe attack of colic4 ,on inquiry as to how he usually fared1 ,i did not wonder that he was ill4 ,i gave him a little medicine1 took means to get him warm and he was soon relieved4 ,i then had some good food prepared for him4 ,i was peculiarly struck with the meekness and patience wherewith he bore his sufferings4 ,there was not a murmuring word from his lips1 but many words of an opposite character4 ,the next day ,i called him into my study to give him a little money with which to buy clothing and food4 ,but ,i had great difficulty in persuading him to take it4 ,he said his sufferings were of no consequence4 ,they were much less than he deserved4 ,the sufferings of this world were all only for a short time4 ,they were sent upon us to teach us not to love the world4 ,much more he said to this effect4 ,i had to call upon one of the native converts to intercede with him1 before he would take the money4 ,but ,i must not dwell on this subject longer4 ,from what ,i have said about our missionary work1 you will understand why the missionary loves his work and why he would not leave it for any other work1 unless duty compels him4 ,,he ,,is ,,only ,a ,,beggar4 ,nov4 #bg1 #aheb4 ,to the ,sunday-school of the ,reformed ,church at ,bound ,brook1 ,new ,jersey4 ,there is very much poverty and misery among the heathen4 ,they do not pity each other and love each other as some ,christians do4 ,those who have the comforts of life seem to have very little pity for those who are destitute4 ,therefore they have no poorhouses where the poor may be taken care of4 ,consequently very many steal1 very many beg1 and very many starve to death4 ,in going from my house to church on the ,sabbath ,i have counted more than thirty beggars on the streets4 ,the most of them were such pitiable looking objects as you never saw4 ,i have seen persons who are called beggars in the ,united ,states1 but ,i never saw a real beggar till ,i came to ,amoy4 ,some of them are covered with filth and a few filthy rags4 ,some of them are without eyes1 some without noses1 some without hands1 and some without feet4 ,some crawl upon their hands and feet1 some sit down in the streets and shove themselves along1 and some lie down end can only move along by rolling over and over4 ,on ,sunday before last1 while ,i was preaching1 a blind girl came into the chapel4 ,she was led by a string attached to a boy going before her4 ,he could see1 but could not walk4 ,he crept along on his hands and knees4 ,a month or two ago1 during a cold storm1 late in the evening1 just as ,i was going to bed1 ,i heard some one groaning by my front door4 ,i went out to see what was the matter4 ,i found an old man with white beard ,iying in the mud and water1 and with very little clothing4 ,he was shivering from cold4 ,he was unable to speak4 ,i had him carried into my house1 and covered over with some mats4 ,we prepared some warm drink and food for him1 as speedily as possible1 hoping that thus we might save his life4 ,but before we could get it ready he died4 ,he had probably been carried by some persons and laid at my door to die1 that they might be free from the trouble and expense of burying him4 ,a week or two ago when walking through the streets ,i saw a beggar ,iying a little distance off4 ,i inquired whether he was already dead4 ,some men1 who stood near1 said ',yes4' ,i then asked why they did not bury him4 ',oh1 he is of no use4' ,i inquired1 ',is he not a man 8' ',no1' they said1 'he is only a beggar4' ',but1' ,i asked again1 'is he not still a man8' ,they laughed and answered1 ',yes4' ,a few days after1 walking with ,mrs4 ,talmage by the same place1 we saw another beggar ,iying nearly in the same spot4 ,i inquired of the persons who were near whether he was dead4 ,they answered1 ',yes4' ,close by sat a beggar who was still alive4 ,he was scarcely grown up4 ,but his face was so deformed from suffering that we could not guess his age4 ,he held out his hands for alms4 ,we gave him a few cash and went on4 ,the next day we passed that way again4 ,we saw two beggars lying together1 both dead4 ,we went to them4 ,one was the lad to whom we gave the cash the day previous4 ,on ,sunday in coming from church we again passed by that sad spot1 and there was still another beggar lying dead directly in the road4 ,this gives you1 in part1 a picture of what heathenism is4 ,parts of two letters written in #aheb to his sister ,catharine will prove interesting4 ,,printing ,,under ,,difficulties4 ,our work here is continually growing on our hands4 ,besides our usual missionary work1 ,i do a little teaching1 a little book-making1 and a little printing4 ,you did not know1 perhaps1 that ,i am a printer4 ,we are teaching a few persons to read the colloquial 7or spoken7 language of ,amoy4 ,but in order to teach this1 it is necessary that this spoken language be committed to writing4 ,it is necessary to have books printed in it4 ,we have no printing press at ,amoy4 ,i have had some types cut on bone or horn4 ,with these ,i print a copy4 ,this is handed to the carver4 ,he pastes it upside down on a block and carves the words on the block4 ,this block is then inked and is made to print other copies4 ,it is a slow process1 but the only one we have at ,amoy at present4 ,i have thus prepared a spelling-book in the ,amoy colloquial4 ,it is not all completed yet4 ,the carver is busy with the last two or three sheets4 ,a few of the first sheets were struck off some weeks ago and made up into small books1 which we have been using to teach those who are learning to read1 until the whole book is complete4 ,our printing is not very pretty4 ,when the caners get more experienced in their work1 they will be able to do their part better4 ,our plan of teaching is as follows3 ,on ,monday afternoon we have a meeting for women at our house4 ,before and after the service we teach them 7those of them who wish to learn7 to spell4 ,on ,tuesday afternoon1 ,mrs4 ,doty meets those who wish to learn1 in a room connected with the church4 ,on ,wednesday1 ,mrs4 ,doty has a meeting for women at her house4 ,she also spends a little time then in teaching them4 ,on ,friday1 ,abby and ,i go to the church and spend about an hour in teaching4 ,we cannot expect them to make very rapid progress in this manner of teaching1 but it is the best we can do for them at present4 ,there are two little girls who have been coming to our house every day for more than a month4 ,they are beginning to read4 ,i must tell you a little of what ,i have been doing to-day4 ,this forenoon1 among other things1 ,i doctored a ,yankee clock4 ,i bought it in ,amoy nearly a year ago for three dollars4 ,sometimes it goes1 and sometimes it stands still4 ,but it stands still much more than it goes4 ,this morning ,i took it all apart1 every wheel out1 rubbed each wheel off1 and put the clock together again4 ,it has been running ever since1 but how long it will continue to run1 ,i cannot tell4 ,,carrier ,,pigeons4 ,our cook1 ',lo1' takes care of our pigeons4 ,some have died and a few have been stolen1 but they have continued gradually to increase4 ,they now number twenty4 ,they are very pretty1 and very tame4 ,they spend much of the time on the open veranda in front of our house4 ,some of them are of a dark brown color1 some are perfectly white1 some are black and white4 ,we shall soon have enough to begin eating pigeon pies1 but ,i suppose we shall be loth to kill the pretty birds4 ,some of them are of the ,carrier pigeon species4 ,we might take them to a good distance from ,amoy and they would doubtless find their way home again4 ,the ,chinese have a small whistle which they sometimes fasten on the back of the pigeons near the tail4 ',lo' has some attached to some of our pigeons4 ,when they fly swiftly through the air1 you can hear the whistle at a great distance4 ,the noise often reminds us of the whistle of a locomotive4 ,the gold-fish in the lamp continue much as when ,i wrote before4 ,we have made some additions to our flower-pots and flowers this spring4 ,our open veranda is being turned into a sort of open garden4 ,we now have from sixty to seventy pots1 from the size of a barrel down to the size of a two-quart measure4 ,some of them are empty and some of them are not4 ,besides flowers1 we have parsley1 onions1 peppers1 mint1 etc41 etc4 ,our garden does not flourish as well as it would1 if ,i had time to attend to it4 ,besides this1 the pigeons are very fond of picking off the young sprouts4 ,lest you should think us too extravagant1 ,i ought to tell you the cost of the flower-pots4 ,those which were presented to us1 did not cost us anything4 ,those we bought1 cost from a cent apiece to sixpence4 ,some two or three cost as high as fifteen or twenty cents apiece4 ,but you will never understand how nice and how odd we have it1 unless you step in some day to look for yourself4 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,little ,,knife ,,insurrection ,china has maintained her integrity as an empire for hundreds of years4 ,but not without struggle4 ,there have been rebellions and dynastic overthrows that threatened to cleave the empire to its foundations4 ,indeed rebellion has often had the sanction of religion in ,china4 ,let a government be unsuccessful2 let a dynasty see the gaunt hand of famine1 or the poison hand of pestilence laid on the land1 that is the mute voice of ,heaven speaking against those who rule4 ,and what nobler than to be self-chosen executors of ,heaven's vengeance4 ,green-eyed envy in imperial pavilion and courtrooms has often stood sponsor to the wildest lawlessness4 ,a base and extortionate government has often driven men in sheer self-defence to tearing down yamens and hunting down the tiger mandarin4 ,the present ,manchu dynasty seized the ,dragon throne in #afdd4 ,for one hundred and fifty years ,china enjoyed comparative peace and prosperity4 ,the emperor ,kang-hi and his grandson ,keenlung1 each reigned sixty years1 to the ,chinese a manifest token of ,heaven's favor4 ,the past one hundred years have been troublous4 ,there has been internal strife4 ,there have been momentous issues to settle in the opening of ,china's gates to the outside world4 ,when she needed ,emperors of the broadest statesmanship1 she has had to blunder along with mediocre men or bend an unwilling neck under the sway of puppets4 ,had it not been for her great ,prime ,ministers1 such as ,prince ,kung and ,li ,hung ,chang1 the days would have been fuller of dark-presaging omens and their disastrous fulfillment4 ,the beginning of this century found a secret society in existence known as the ,triads1 whose avowed object was the expulsion of the ,manchus and the restoration of the ,mings4 ,in #ahjc the emperor ,kiaking was attacked in open day while being carried in a chair of state through the streets of ,peking4 ,he was saved by his attendants1 several of whom lost their lives4 ,in #ahea the ,tai-ping ,rebellion began4 ,the fuel that fed the flame was various4 ,it was reaction against oppressive government4 ,it was iconoclasm inspired by a spurious ,christianity4 ,it was pride of race that would not tolerate a ,manchu on the throne4 ,for fourteen years ,china staggered under this awful scourge4 ,whole provinces were devastated and almost depopulated4 ,for a long time the issue was uncertain4 ,at length the united strength of foreigners and ,chinese battered the serpent's head and destroyed its vitals4 ,while the boa of rebellion was stretching itself across the heart of the empire a whole brood of little serpents were poisoning and devouring other outlying provinces4 ,an insurrection was organized in the neighborhood of ,amoy early in #ahec4 ,mr4 ,talmage writes fully concerning it4 ,,the ,,little ,,knife ,,insurrection4 ,jan4 #be1 #ahec4 ,to the ,sunday-school1 ,flushing1 ,new ,york4 ,the streets of ,amoy are very narrow4 ,the widest are only a few yards wide4 ,at very short distances apart1 there are gates across the streets4 ,the object of these gates1 and the principal cause of the streets being so narrow1 are to protect the inhabitants from gangs of thieves4 ,in the winter season1 when men have more leisure and more temptation to plunder1 these gates are closed every night4 ,during the present winter the people seem to have had more fear of robbers than usual4 ,old gates have been repaired and many new gates have been built4 ,the inhabitants of a ,christian land1 like ,america1 do not fear to live alone in the country without any near neighbors4 ,but in this region a house standing alone in the country is scarcely ever seen4 ,the people always collect together in villages or towns or cities4 ,the villages are usually provided with small watchtowers1 built of stone or brick1 in which a few men may sleep as sentinels to give notice of the approach of robbers1 and to fire on them4 ,even in the towns and cities you seldom see a dwelling-house with an outside window4 ,if there be such a window1 it is usually guarded by slabs of granite1 or by mason-work with only small openings1 like the windows of a prison1 so that a person cannot pass through4 ,june #c1 #ahec4 ,to ,dr4 ,anderson4 ,in ,march last one of the members of our church1 ,chheng-choan1 requested that he might be sent in company with the colporteur on a trip to the city of ,chiangchiu to preach the ,gospel and distribute tracts4 ,he said that his heart was very ardent to go and make known the ,gospel4 ,he was willing to give the time and bear his own expenses4 ,he is a native of the city of ,chiangchiu4 ,they made two visits1 one in company with ,rev4 ,w4 ,c4 ,burns4 ,many of the people requested them to establish a permanent place4 ,houses were offered them for rent4 ,a few days after their return to ,amoy two men who had been much interested in their preaching came down and spent several days with us in order that they might learn the way of the ,lord more perfectly4 ,on the #c;d of ,may we called a meeting of the male members of our church1 to take into consideration the subject of immediately sending two of their number to ,chiangchiu1 to commence permanent operations4 ,the members were unanimous in the opinion that the ,master had opened the way before us1 and was calling us to go forward4 ,it was decided that if two men qualified for the work would volunteer1 they should immediately be sent4 ,it was then suggested that if two more men were ready perhaps it would be well to appoint them for the region north of us1 to carry the ,gospel to the villages and towns between ,amoy and ,chinchew and see whether the way might not be open to begin operations in that city4 ,chinchew is an important city near the seacoast1 about one-third of the way from ,amoy to ,foochow4 ,the suggestion concerning the appointment of men for ,chinchew was new to us4 ,everything seemed favorable for adopting the new suggestion4 ,four men immediately offered themselves for the work1 two for ,chiangchiu1 and two for the region of ,chinchew4 ,they were men whom we thought well qualified for the work1 probably just the men we would have chosen4 ,the evangelist ,u1 and the colporteur ,lotia1 left ,amoy on their mission to ,chiangchiu1 ,may #abth4 ,a few days after their arrival1 about midnight on the #agth of ,may1 the insurrection broke at ,chiangchiu1 which interrupted their labors4 ,the evangelist thought that quiet would soon be restored and therefore resolved to remain a few days4 ,the people rushed upon the insurgents1 wrested their arms from them1 and slew many of them4 ,the insurgents finding themselves overpowered attempted to flee4 ,the gates of the streets were closed against them4 ,the people along the streets attacked them by throwing missiles from the tops of the houses4 ,all strangers in the city were in great danger of being suspected and treated as insurgents4 ,the evangelist in leaving the city was seized by some of the mob4 ,some said he was one of the insurgents1 others said he was not4 ,he succeeded in making his escape to the house of a friend outside of the city walls4 ,the colporteur made his escape over the wall of the city and fled to the house of some friends in the suburbs near the river-side4 ,by my letter of ,may #aith1 it will be seen that ,amoy was attacked by the insurgents on the morning 7,may #ahth71 after they entered the city of ,chiangchiu4 ,the insurgents are members of a secret society4 ,for very many years there has existed in this region a society by the name of ',thian-te-hoe1' ,heaven and ,earth ,society4 ,this is the name by which the members designate their society4 ,but as the members are generally provided with knives or small swords1 the society is designated by the people as ',sio-to-hoe1' ,small ,sword ,society4 ,the professed object of this society has been the overthrow of the present ,tartar dynasty4 ,between this and ,chiangchiu the members of this society are very numerous4 ,after the breaking out of the insurrection at ,hai-teng1 and ,chioh-be 7cities fifteen and eighteen miles from ,amoy1 half way to ,chiangchiu71 the whole populace appeared to sympathize with the movement4 ,large bodies of the insurgents moved up the river to ,chiangchiu1 others came down the river to ,amoy4 ,at the same time there was a rising of the insurgents at ,tong-an and ,an-khoe1 districts to the north of ,amoy4 ,at the first outbreak the officials and soldiers fled4 ,the people of ,amoy have been in continual excitement and fear4 ,they are afraid to engage in business4 ,on ,sabbath morning we went to our chapels as usual4 ,shortly after commencing services1 news came that a fleet of war junks under the command of the ,admiral was anchoring a short distance from the city4 ,soon the whole city was in commotion4 ,about noon a detachment of a thousand soldiers was landed from the junks4 ,they marched with very little opposition through the town to the gates of the city4 ,they were attacked simultaneously by the insurgents from within1 and by those in ambush without4 ,the insurgents were victorious4 ,by three o'clock in the afternoon the city was comparatively quiet1 and we repaired to our church4 ,most of the church members were assembled4 ,our church edifice is situated on the great thoroughfare which had been the principal scene of excitement4 ,it was thought best to suspend the usual exercises1 to close the street doors1 and hold if possible a quiet prayer-meeting4 ,it was a solemn time4 ,the 'confused noise' of war had just been heard1 human blood had been flowing1 the angry passions of men were not yet calmed1 and we knew not what the end would be4 ,we felt it a suitable time to draw near to ,god and make ,him our refuge4 ,this afternoon we received tidings from ,chiangchiu4 ,the evangelist was arrested by twelve men1 delivered to an official and beheaded4 ,june #aj1 #ahec4 ,the state of affairs through the whole of this region remains very unsettled4 ,the insurgents are endeavoring to regain possession of the city of ,chiangchiu4 ,they have command of the whole region1 between this place and that city4 ,they still are in possession of ,amoy4 ,we are almost daily expecting an attack by the government authorities4 ,amoy is cut off from all trade with the large towns around4 ,the insurgents probably would not permit goods to be carried to ,chiangchiu and other places with which they are at war4 ,besides1 this whole region is infested with pirates4 ,it is only at great risk that any merchant junk can at present come to or depart from ,amoy4 ,we cannot yet form any definite opinion as to the final result of this movement4 ,the forces of the insurgents are none of them drilled soldiers4 ,their appearance is that of an armed mob4 ,their weapons are mostly spears1 and knives and matchlocks4 ,at the time the insurrection broke out in our neighborhood and while we were expecting an attack on our city by the insurgents1 we felt some anxiety4 ,we had no means of deciding how they would feel towards foreigners4 ,we supposed they would feel it to be for their own interest not to meddle with foreigners4 ,they knew that they would have enough to do to contend with their own government1 without at the same time involving themselves with foreign powers4 ,more than all this1 we had the doctrines and promises of ,god's word on which to rely4 ,these we feel at all times give us the only unfailing security4 ,they are worth more than armies and navies4 ,it is only when ,god uses armies and navies for the fulfillment of ,his own promises that they are worth anything to us4 ,,how ,,the ,,chinese ,,fight4 ,july #bh1 #ahec4 ,to his brother1 ,daniel4 ,i suppose you will feel more desirous to learn about the state of politics and war at ,amoy4 ,at present everything is quiet4 ,three weeks ago another attempt was made by the ,mandarins to retake ,amoy4 ,they landed a body of troops on the opposite side of the island4 ,these were to march across the island 7about ten miles7 and attack the city by land4 ,simultaneously an attack was to be made on the city from the water side by the ,mandarin fleet4 ,it is said that the land forces amounted to about #aj1jjj4 ,the fleet consisted of about forty sail4 ,on ,wednesday morning 7,july #fth71 about daybreak1 the troops were put in motion4 ,they were met with about an equal number of rebel troops4 ,they fought until the ,mandarin soldiers became hungry 7about eight or nine o'clock74 ,not being relieved at that time1 as they expected1 they withdrew to cook their rice4 ,the ,mandarin in command considering that his life was much more important than that of the soldiers1 kept himself at a safe distance from the scene of action4 ,at about breakfast-time he started to go down in his sedan chair nearer the scene of action4 ,when he saw that his troops were retiring to cook their breakfast1 he supposed that they were giving way before the enemy4 ,prudence being the better part of valor1 he ordered his chair-bearers to face about and carry him in the other direction4 ,the soldiers1 finding that their chief officer had fled1 thought there was no further need of risking their lives1 so they all retired4 ,i cannot vouch for the truth of the whole of the above statement4 ,such1 however1 is the story soberly related by some of the ,chinese4 ,we could see the smoke and hear the reports of the guns from the top of our house4 ,the fighting commenced very early4 ,we thought that the ,mandarin troops were gradually approaching the city1 until about ,chinese breakfast-time 7eight to nine o'clock71 when the firing ceased4 ,we know not how many lives were lost in the engagement4 ,the rebels brought into the city some seventeen or eighteen heads which they had decapitated4 ,i know not whether these were all killed in the fight or whether they were the heads of some villagers on whom the rebels took vengeance for assisting the ,mandarins4 ,now for the engagement on the water4 ,the rebel forces on the water were much inferior to the ,mandarin forces1 but the ,chinese say they fought more desperately4 ,the engagement opened on ,wednesday about noon and lasted until nearly evening4 ,towards evening the ,mandarin fleet withdrew a few miles and came to anchor4 ,on ,thursday at high-tide 7about noon7 the engagement was renewed4 ,towards evening the ,mandarin fleet again withdrew as before4 ,on ,friday the engagement was again renewed with similar results4 ,on ,saturday the ,mandarin fleet withdrew entirely and left the harbor4 ,during the three days of the fight1 as you would expect1 there was much excitement in ,amoy4 ,the tops of the houses and the hills around about1 at the time of the engagement1 were thronged with people1 and there was a continual discharge of cannon4 ,but ,i have not given the number of the killed and wounded in the three days' naval action4 ,reports1 you know1 are often much exaggerated on such occasions4 ,according to the most reliable statements 7and ,i have not yet heard of any other statement71 the list stands thus3 ,killed-,none6 ,wounded-,none6 ,prisoners-,none6 ,it is said that one ball from a ,mandarin junk did strike a rebel junk1 but did not hurt any one4 ,during the fighting the vessels kept so far apart that the balls almost always fell into the water between them4 ,on the second day of the fight1 a boat from the city in which were three men1 who were not engaged in the fight1 was captured by the ,mandarin fleet1 and the three men were beheaded4 ,war is too serious a matter to be laughed at1 but the kind of war we have thus far seen at ,amoy is only like children's play4 ,nov4 #a1 #ahec4 ,to his brother1 ,daniel4 ,our war still continues1 fighting almost every day4 ,the day ,i sent off my last package to you1 two more balls struck our house4 ,one came through the roof of an unoccupied part of the premises4 ,i did not weigh it1 but suppose it was about a six-pounder4 ,the other struck against a pillar in the outside wall and fell down and was picked up by some one outside of the house1 so that ,i do not know the size of it4 ,it was a merciful ,providence that it struck the pillar4 ,if it had struck on either side of the pillar1 it would have come into a room in which many ,chinese were collected4 ,on ,sunday last there was much fighting again4 ,a small ball came into our veranda4 ,a small ball entered ,mr4 ,doty's house1 one entered ,mr4 ,alexander ,stronach's house1 several entered ,dr4 ,hirschberg's house2 other houses also were struck4 ,dr4 ,hirschberg's house has been the most exposed4 ,we have all been preserved from harm thus far4 ,he1 who has thus far preserved us1 ,i trust will continue to preserve us4 ,the fighting is more serious than at first4 ,a little more courage is manifested and more execution is done4 ,but ,i do not see any prospect of either party being victorious4 ,the party whose funds are completely used up first1 will doubtless have to yield to the other4 ,i cannot tell which that will be4 ,i shall be heartily glad when one of the armies withdraws from ,amoy4 ,the country around ,amoy is becoming desolated4 ,houses and whole villages are plundered and burned4 ,in ,amoy suffering abounds1 and ,i suppose is increasing4 ,when ,i go out into the street ,i usually put a handful of cash into my pocket to distribute to the beggars4 ,in ,november1 #ahec1 ,imperial authority asserted itself4 ,the ,imperial forces having collected from the neighboring garrisons1 appeared in such overwhelming strength that the insurgents hastily put off to sea4 ,many succeeded in escaping to ,formosa and ,singapore4 ,the leader was accidentally shot off ,macao4 ,the restoration of ,imperial authority was followed1 however1 by terrible scenes of official cruelty and bloodthirstiness4 ,the guilty had escaped1 but the ,emperor ,hienfung's officials wreaked their rage on the helpless and unoffending townspeople4 ,hundreds of both sexes were slain in cold blood1 and on more than one occasion ,english officers and seamen interfered to protect the weak and to arrest the progress of an undiscriminating and insensate massacre4 ,,vii4 ,,the ,,blossoming ,,desert4 ,in tropical lands1 when the rain comes1 what was barren baked earth1 in a day or two is rich meadow1 all ablaze with flowers1 and the dry torrent beds1 where the stones lay white and glistening ghastly in the hot sunshine1 are foaming with rushing streams and fringed with budding oleanders4 ,such a spiritual transformation it was the glad privilege of our missionaries to witness in the region of ,amoy during the years #ahed and #ahee4 ,until then1 to the eye of man only an occasional seed had burst its way through the stone-crusted earth and given a shadow of harvest hope4 ,the first four years of prayer and testimony from #ahdb-ahdf were definitely and visibly rewarded with only two converts4 ,when ,mr4 ,talmage arrived at ,amoy in #ahdg the total church membership was three4 ,by #ahej it had grown to five4 ,by the end of #ahea the seed had brought forth nearly fourfold4 ,there were nineteen converts4 ,this was the harbinger of brighter days4 ,even during the troublous times of #ahec signs of awakening appeared4 ,in the midst of war and rumors of war the native brethren had proposed to enter the regions beyond ,chiangchiu and ,chinchew4 ,the faithful preaching of ,doty and ,talmage in the chapels and on the streets of ,amoy city1 among the towns and villages of ,amoy ,island and the mainland2 the apostolic labors of ,william ,burns1 whose joy it was to sow beside all waters1-these had found acceptance with ,god and with the people4 ,inquirers multiplied at the chapels4 ,they came from among the shopkeepers and boatmen of ,amoy1 from cities and towns along the arms of the sea and up the inland rivers1 from remote country hamlets beyond the mountains4 ,mr4 ,talmage's letters during #ahed and #ahee tell of the great awakening4 ,this year 7#ahed71 thus far1 has been one of unusual blessing1 a year 'of the right hand of the ,most ,high4' ,early in ,january1 knowing that there were a few individuals desirous of receiving ,christian baptism1 we appointed a meeting for the examination of such1 and also for personal conversation with all others who might feel an especial interest in ,christianity4 ,we were agreeably surprised to find the number of inquirers and candidates for baptism much greater than we had supposed4 ,we also found among the inquirers an unusual tenderness of conscience1 and sense of sinfulness1 and anxiety for the salvation of the soul4 ,seeing such evidence that the ,holy ,spirit was shedding abroad ,his quickening influences among this people1 we appointed a similar interview for the week following4 ,these meetings for the examination and instruction of inquirers we have continued almost every week1 and occasionally twice a week1 till the present time4 ,sometimes the inquirers present have numbered thirty or forty1 perhaps more4 ,at times1 moreover1 the depth of feeling manifested has been such that the eyes of every one present have been suffused with tears4 ,these meetings1 we trust1 have been very profitable1 as well as interesting4 ,on ,sabbath1 ,march #bfth1 we were permitted to receive into the fellowship of the ,christian ,church ten individuals1 eight men and two women1 the eldest a widow woman aged sixty-eight1 the youngest a young man aged twenty4 ,on the last ,sabbath in ,may1 we again received nine persons1 six men and three women1 the eldest an old man aged seventy-four1 the youngest a young man aged twenty-three4 ,on the thirtieth of ,july 7,sabbath71 we again baptized nine others1 four men and five women1 the eldest a widow aged fifty-one1 the youngest a girl aged sixteen4 ,thus the whole number of adults baptized by us at ,amoy during the present year1 thus far1 is twenty-eight4 ,he cites individual cases4 ,speaking of an aged widow he says3 ,she lives at a village some fifteen miles or more from ,amoy4 ,boats coming from that place to this place land at a wharf near my house4 ,on one occasion1 when she arrived here a few months ago1 she resolved to come to my house1 and see how the foreigners lived4 ,on entering1 she was met by the ,christian who has charge of the chapel4 ,he asked her business4 ,she said that she only came for amusement4 ,he replied1 ',this is not a place to visit for amusement1 but to hear the doctrine4' ',well1' says she1 'then ,i will hear the doctrine4' ,he explained to her something of the truths of ,christianity4 ,he told her also that after breakfast ,i should be in the chapel for morning worship4 ,she went back to the neighbor's house whence she had come1 to wait until after breakfast4 ,but the new doctrine which she had heard1 took so deep a hold on her mind1 that she desired no breakfast for herself4 ,soon she again came to hear more4 ,she was deeply impressed with the truth and importance of the things which she heard4 ,she reasoned with herself thus3 ',the myriads of people ,i meet with do not know what is in my heart1 but these people tell me what is in my heart and in my bones4 ,this doctrine cannot be of man4 ,it must be the great power of ,god4' ,she was poor and lived at a distance from ,amoy4 ,she learned that the ,christian who had charge of the chapel was of the same surname with herself4 ,she inquired whether she might not come down next ,saturday1 and lodge with his family4 ,she said she would bring with her some dried potatoes for her food4 ,of course her request was readily granted4 ,from that time to the present1 she has come the whole distance from her village to ,amoy almost every week1 in order to hear the ,gospel4 ,she has two sons and one daughter4 ,she has brought both her sons with her1 desiring that they also may become ,christians4 ,the eldest1 aged seventeen1 is among our inquirers4 ,she has also brought some of her neighbors with her to hear the ,word4 ,she has met with much opposition and persecution2 but so far as we can learn1 she has borne all with the meekness of a true disciple of ,christ4 ,since her baptism1 she has rented a room in ,amoy1 that she may live within sound of the ,gospel4 ,when she told me of this1 ,i asked her how she expected to maintain herself1 and whether she thought she should be able to earn a living at ,amoy4 ,she replied that she trusted in ,god4 ,if she could not get as good food as others1 she would eat coarser food4 ,there is still a goodly number of inquirers at ,amoy4 ,in our meeting for conversation with them to-day2 we met with two very affecting cases4 ,they are lads1 the elder being in his seventeenth year1 and the younger in his thirteenth4 ,their parents and friends bitterly oppose them in their determination to follow ,christ4 ,they have been severely beaten4 ,the elder was severely scourged yesterday4 ,this morning he was again tied up in a very painful manner1 and beaten by his cruel father4 ,he carried the marks of his sufferings on his arms1 which we saw4 ,we were told that he had scars also on other parts of his body4 ,we trust that they are 'the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4' ,a brother1 still younger than themselves1 we are told1 also worships ,jesus4 ,if they are1 indeed1 lambs of ,christ's flock1 the blessed ,saviour will take care of them2 but their severe afflictions should call forth much sympathy and prayer in their behalf4 ,the conduct of our church members continues to give us much comfort4 ,they are not free from faults4 ,they need much careful oversight and exhortation and instruction4 ,in consequence of this1 our cares1 anxieties1 and labors must necessarily increase as the converts increase4 ,but if allowance be made for their limited knowledge1 only a short time having elapsed since the most of them first heard the ,gospel1 there are probably but few churches1 even in our own beloved country1 compared with which the ,christian character of this little flock would suffer4 ,were it not for the ,christian activity of our members1 so many of them abounding in good works1 our operations here would necessarily be confined within much narrower limits4 ,almost every one seems to be impressed with the truth1 that he or she is to improve every opportunity to speak a word for ,christ4 ,many of them are quite effective speakers4 ,the heathen are often astonished to hear men from the lower walks of life1 who previously had not had the benefit of any education1 and are yet perhaps unable to read1 speak with such fluency1 and reason with such power concerning the things of ,god1 as to silence all their adversaries1 even though they be men of education4 ,speaking of the awakening at ,peh-chui-ia1 a market-town once under our care1 now under the care of the ,english ,presbyterians1 ,mr4 ,talmage continues3 ,we have been specially interested in their lively faith1 their praying spirit1 their earnestness in the study of the ,holy ,scriptures1 and1 as a consequence of all this1 their joy in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the house first rented was found too small and uncomfortable for our work4 ,the adjoining house1 of about the same size1 and the upper part of the next house1 have since been rented1 and doors opened through the walls4 ,thus we have several rooms for lodging and conversation1 and also for holding more private meetings than we could in the chapel4 ,the members and inquirers spend the greater part of the ,sabbath at the mission premises studying the ,scriptures1 listening to the preaching of the ,word1 and in religious conversation and prayer4 ,they go home only for their meals1 and some not even for that4 ,a part of them spend much of their time there in similar employments on other days of the week4 ,when we have been with them1 we have been much gratified by seeing their earnestness in the study of the ,scriptures4 ,they are continually coming to us for explanation of passages which they cannot understand4 ,often the voice of prayer will be heard from all parts of the house at once4 ,they are but babes in ,christ2 yet their knowledge of the ,scriptures is remarkable4 ,we feel it good for our own souls to be among them4 ,this market-town owed much to the earnest labors of ,rev4 ,w4 ,c4 ,burns1 whose words and manner of life are still a fragrant memory among the brethren there4 ,he was the first ,english ,presbyterian missionary to ,china4 ,he arrived in #ahdg4 ,for the first four years he carried on evangelistic work at ,hongkong and ,canton4 ,he came to ,amoy in #ahea4 ,mr4 ,talmage alludes to a family at ,peh-chui-ia who had endured much for ,christ's sake4 ,this family have been twice plundered4 ,once their house was set on fire by a band of robbers1 and everything was destroyed1 themselves only escaping with their lives by a remarkable providence4 7,so intense is the hatred of some of the officials against ,christianity that bold robberies will take place with their connivance1 sometimes at their instigation47 ,these afflictions seem to have been employed by the ,spirit of ,god in preparing their hearts for the reception of the ,gospel4 ,on the first announcement of the ,word1 they were deeply impressed with its truth4 ,the father1 however1 had a hard struggle2 and the opposition from his neighbors was too much for him at the first4 ,at one time1 he resolved to run away from the place altogether4 ,at another time he meditated drowning himself4 ,while in this state of mind1 he derived much benefit from the counsel and earnest entreaties of his wife4 ,she exhorted and besought him to exhibit the meekness and endurance taught by the meek and suffering ,saviour4 ,he who never suffers ,his people to be tempted above that they are able to bear1 at length raised him above the fear of man1 and established his goings4 ,on one occasion1 when we were conversing with him1 it was suggested that he might again be robbed4 ,he replied that he did not believe he should be1 for he now trusted in ,god4 ,we suggested1 ',perhaps the very fact that you have turned from idols to the service of the true ,god1 may lead the enemies of the ,gospel to band together and plunder you4' ,he answered1 ',i do not believe that they will4 ,they will not1 except it be the will of ,god4 ,if it be ,his will1 ,i also am willing4' ,on one occasion it was suggested that he might even be brought before magistrates because of the ,gospel4 ,he answered that he had no anxiety on that subject4 ,when the time came the ,holy ,ghost would teach him what to speak4 ,he has since had his faith put to the test1 but his confidence was not disappointed4 ,the enemies of the ,gospel banded together to demand of him money as his share of the expenses of some idolatrous celebration1 resolving1 if he refused to pay the money1 to plunder his establishment4 ,a crowd collected at his door to carry the resolution into effect4 ,they made their demand for the money4 ,but he was enabled to speak to them with such power that they trembled in his presence1 it is said1 and were glad to leave him alone4 ,mr4 ,talmage writes of the great change in a man notoriously wicked1 who at fifty-one years of age yielded to ,christ4 ,for thirty-one years he was addicted to the smoking of opium4 ,when the brethren first saw him1 he seemed just ready to fall into the grave4 ,he also had a bad reputation throughout the town1 being accustomed to meddling with other people's business4 ,he was a man of good natural abilities1 and the people feared him4 ,he has given up his opium and his other vile practices4 ,his whole character seems to have undergone a change4 ,he also has been called1 as have all the others in that town1 to experience persecution4 ,his enemies are those of his own house4 ,his opium-smoking1 and all his other wickedness1 they could endure2 but they cannot endure his ,christianity1 his temperance1 his meek and quiet spirit4 ,one of my visits to ,peh-chui-ia was on the day after his friends had been manifesting1 especial opposition to him4 ,i found him greatly rejoicing that he had been called to suffer persecution for ,christ's sake1 and that he had been enabled to bear it so meekly4 ,he said the ,holy ,scriptures had been verified1 referring to ,matthew v4#aa1 #ab4 ,he said that he had been enabled to preach the ,gospel to those who had met to oppose him for two hours1 until his voice failed him4 ,he was still quite hoarse from his much speaking4 ,he had told them of the change which he had experienced through the power of the ,holy ,spirit on his heart2 but he also said he knew they could not understand his meaning1 when he spoke of the work of the ,holy ,spirit in the heart4 ,if they would worship ,jesus1 however1 and pray to the ,holy ,spirit to change their hearts1 as his had been changed1 then they would understand him4 ,,si-,,boo',s ,,zeal4 ,an interesting case narrated in the life of ,w4 ,c4 ,burns is that of ,si-boo1 who afterwards went as an evangelist among his own countrymen at ,singapore4 ,on ,mr4 ,burns' first visit to ,pechuia1 he found amongst the foremost and most interesting of his hearers1 a youth of about eighteen or twenty1 called ,si-boo4 ,of stature rather under the average of his countrymen1 with an eye and countenance more open than usual1 and a free and confiding manner1 he soon attracted the attention of the missionary4 ,his position in life was above the class of common mechanics1 and his education rather good for his position4 ,his occupation was to carve small idols in wood for the houses of his idolatrous countrymen1 of every variety of style and workmanship1 some plain and cheap1 and some of the most elaborate and costly description4 ,had ,si-boo been of the spirit of ,demetrius1 he would have opposed and persecuted ,mr4 ,burns for bringing his craft into danger4 ,but instead of that1 he manifested a spirit of earnest1 truthful inquiry1 although that inquiry was one in which all the prepossessions1 and prejudices1 and passions of mind and heart were against the truth--an inquiry in which all the influence of friends1 and all his prospects in life1 were cast into the wrong balance4 ,by the grace of ,god he made that solemn inquiry with such simplicity and sincerity1 that it soon led to an entire conviction of the truth of our religion1 and that to a decided profession of faith at all hazards2 and these hazards1 in such a place as ,pechuia1 were neither few nor small-far greater than at ,amoy1 where the presence of a large body of converts1 and a considerable ,english community1 and a ,british flag1 might seem to hold out a prospect of both protection and support in time of need1 though such protection and temporal aid have never been relied on by even our ,amoy converts1 still less encouraged4 ,one of the first sacrifices to which ,si-boo was called was a great one4 ,his trade of idol-carver must be given up1 and with that his only means of support2 and that means both respectable and lucrative to a skillful hand like his4 ,but to his credit he did not hesitate4 ,he at once threw it up and cast himself on the providence of ,god1 and neither asked nor received any assistance from the missionary1 but at once set himself to turn his skill as a carver in a new and legitimate direction4 ,he became a carver of beads for bracelets and other ornaments1 and was soon able to support himself and assist his mother in this way4 ,one advantage of this new trade was1 that it was portable4 ,with a few small knives1 and a handful of olive-stones1 he could prosecute his work wherever he liked to take his seat1 and he frequently took advantage of this to prosecute his ,master's work1 while he was diligent in his own4 ,sometimes he would take his seat on the ',gospel ,boat' when away on some evangelistic enterprise2 and while we were slowly rowing up some river or creek1 or scudding away before a favorable wind to some distant port1 ,si-boo would be busy at work on his beads2 but as soon as we reached our destination1 the beads and tools were thrust into his pouch1 and with his ,bible and a few tracts in his hand1 he was off to read or talk to the people1 and leave his silent messengers behind him4 ,during the same year 7#ahed71 ,mr4 ,doty wrote a letter to ,mr4 ,burns while in ,scotland1 in regard to the awakening at ,chioh-be1 a large town of #cj1jjj inhabitants1 eight miles northwest of ,peh-chui-ia4 ,an extract reads as follows3 ,but what shall ,i tell you of the ,lord's visitation of mercy at ,chioh-be8 ,again1 truly1 are we as those that dream4 ,the general features of the work are very similar to what you witnessed at ,pechui-ia4 ,the instrumentality has been native brethren almost entirely4 ,attention was first awakened in one or two by ,i-ju and ,tick-jam1 who went to ,chioh-be together4 ,this was two or three months ago4 ,this was followed up by repeated visits of other brethren from ,pechui-ia and ,amoy4 ,shortly the desire to hear the ,word was so intense1 that there would be scarcely any stop day or night2 the brethren in turns going1 and breaking down from much speaking in the course of three or four days1 and coming back to us almost voiceless4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,for ,a ,,missionary4 ,on the #cjth of ,august1 #ahed1 ,mr4 ,talmage wrote1 enclosing the subjoined appeal of the church at ,peh-chui-ia for a missionary4 ,it is addressed to the ,american ,board1 which these brethren call the ,public ,society4 ,a duplicate letter was sent at the same time to ,mr4 ,burns to be presented to the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,they tell us1 says ,mr4 ,talmage1 that every sentence has been prayed over4 ,according to their own statement1 they would write a sentence1 and then pray1 and then write another sentence1 and then pray again4 ,by the mercy and grace of ,god1 called to be little children of the ,saviour ,jesus1 we send this letter to the ,public ,society1 desiring that ,god our ,father1 and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 may bestow grace and peace on all the saints connected with the ,public ,society4 ,we desire you to know the boundless grace and favor of ,god towards us1 and in behalf of us1 little children1 heartily to thank ,god because that the announcement of ,god's grace has been conveyed by your nation to our nation1 and to our province1 even to ,amoy1 and to our market-town ,peh-chui-ia4 ,we desire the ,public ,society to be thoroughly informed1 so that they may very heartily thank ,god and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 for we at ,peh-chui-ia originally dwelt in the region of death and gloomy darkness1 a place under the curse of ,god1 and were exposed to ,god's righteous punishment4 ,but many thanks to ,god's compassion and mercy1 the ,holy ,spirit influenced the pastors of your nation to send holy brethren 7,amoy native ,christians71 in company with the ,english pastor1 the teacher1 ,william ,burns1 unto our market town1 to unfold the holy announcement of grace1 and preach the ,gospel4 ,many thanks to ,god1 whose grace called several brethren1 by day and by night1 to listen to the preaching of the ,gospel1 for the space of four months4 ,many thanks to the ,holy ,spirit1 who opened our darkened hearts1 and led us unto the ,saviour ,jesus1 whose precious blood delivers from sin4 ,by the grace of ,god five persons were received into the ,church and baptized4 ,again1 two months afterwards four persons were received into the ,church and baptized4 ,there are still some ten persons and more1 from different quarters1 not yet baptized1 who have been operated on1 so that they listen to the preaching with gladness of heart4 ,by the will of ,god1 the ,english pastor has been called to return to his own nation4 ,our place is distant from ,amoy by water1 several tens of 'lis1' ,one li is about one-third of a mile so that it is difficult to come and go4 ,the two pastors of your nation at ,amoy 7,messrs4 ,doty and ,talmage7 have not a moment to spare from labor1 for the holy brethren there are many2 and it is difficult for them to leave home4 ,we1 the brethren of the church at our market town1 with united heart pray1 earnestly beseeching ,god again graciously to compassionate us1 and send a pastor from the ,public ,society of your nation1 that he may quickly come1 and instruct us plainly in the ,gospel4 ,it is to be deplored-the brethren having heard the teacher ,william ,burns preach the ,word for a few months1 their spiritual nature only just born again1 not yet having obtained firmness in the faith1 that just at this time1 in the seventh month1 the pastor should be separated from us4 ,day and night our tears flow2 and with united heart we pray1 earnestly beseeching ,god graciously to grant that of the disciples of the ,lord ,jesus a pastor hastily come1 and preach to us the ,gospel1 this food of grace with its savoriness of grace1 in order to strengthen the faith of us1 little children4 ,moreover1 we pray ,god to influence the saints of your nation that they may always keep us little children in remembrance4 ,therefore1 on the #bhth day of the seventh month 7,august #ba1 #ahed7 the brethren with united heart have prayed earnestly beseeching ,god that this our general letter may be conveyed to the great ,public ,society1 that you may certainly know these our affairs1 and pray ,god1 in behalf of us1 that this our request may be granted4 ,please give our salutation to the brethren4 ,,kong-,,biau1 ,,tek-,,iam1 ,,tek-,,eian1 ,u-,,ju1 ,,si,,bu1 ,,jit-,,som1 ,,ki-,,an1 ,,lam-,,san1 ,,kim ,,koa1 ,the disciples of ,jesus at ,peh-chui-ia4 ,presented to the ,public ,society that all the disciples may read it4 ,mr4 ,talmage concludes a letter speaking of the times of refreshing in these words3 ,this remarkable work may well fill our hearts with gratitude and encouragement4 ,heretofore1 we have always been obliged to wait a long time before we were permitted to see much fruit of our labor2 and we were almost led to the conclusion that such must always be the case1 in carrying the ,gospel to a heathen people4 ,now we see that such need not be the course of events4 ,we should preach the ,gospel with larger expectations1 and in the hope of more immediate fruit4 ,he who commanded the light to shine out of darkness1 can shine into the darkest minds1 'to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of ,god in the face of ,christ ,jesus' on the first announcement of the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,when the proper time comes1 and ,his ,church is made ready for the great accession1 it will be an easy thing for ,him to accomplish the expectation that a nation shall be born at once4 ,,viii4 ,,church ,,union4 ,missionary work in its initial stage has only to do with first principles4 ,given shelter1 food1 power of utterance in a foreign tongue1 a preaching spot1 a company of hearers1 and you have bounded the horizon for the present4 ,no sooner1 however1 is a goodly company of believers gathered1 but problems1 numerous and weighty1 confront the missionary4 ,how shall the company of believers be organized and governed8 ,shall it be exactly on the model of the church which the missionary represents8 ,if not1 what modifications shall be made8 ,shall the seedling ten thousand miles away be roped to the mother tree or shall it be encouraged to stand alone8 ,what advantages in independence8 ,what perils8 ,what shall be the status of the foreign missionary before the native church just organizing8 ,what relation shall he sustain to the home church8 ,the answers to these questions have been as various as the denominations represented in ,oriental lands4 ,the answers of missionaries representing the same denomination have not even tallied4 ,after the gracious awakening and ingathering at ,amoy and in the region about1 had taken place1 the question of church organization became foremost4 ,the missionaries gave the subject earnest thought4 ,men like ,elihu ,doty and ,john ,van ,nest ,talmage and ,carstairs ,douglas1 were not likely to come to conclusions hastily4 ,but they were born pioneers4 ,conservative enough never to lose their equilibrium1 they had adaptability to new circumstances4 ,quite willing to follow the beaten path so long as there was promise of harvest returns1 they were prepared nevertheless to blaze a new road into the trackless forest if they were sure some of ,god's treasure-trove could be brought back on it4 ,there was no divergence of view as to what the foundation of the new church-structure must be4 ',for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ4' ,so long1 however1 as the general proportions were the same1 there was no fear that the new edifice would topple over if it did not conform exactly in height and length and breadth1 in column and pilaster and facade1 to the venerated model in the mother countries4 ,the brethren expressed their views to the churches in the home land4 ,they did more4 ,they plead their cause and hoped for endorsement4 ,the following is part of a lengthy but very interesting communication written by ,mr4 ,talmage and sent to the ,synod of the ,reformed ,church in #ahef3 ,amoy1 ,china1 ,sept4 #ag1 #ahef4 ,to the ,general ,synod of the ,reformed ,protestant ,dutch ,church4 ,fathers and ,brethren3 ,we your missionaries at ,amoy1 ,china1 have1 by the blessing of the ,head of the ,church on our labors1 arrived at a stage of progress in our work which imposes on us weighty responsibilities1 and we feel the need of counsel and advice4 ,it will be proper for us to give a brief account of our ,mission1 of our work1 of the blessing of ,god on our labors1 of our peculiar circumstances1 and of the principles on which we have acted hitherto1 and which we think should still guide us in our efforts to establish the ,kingdom of ,christ in this land1 that you may praise ,god in our behalf and in behalf of this people1 and assist us by your sympathies1 prayers1 and counsels4 ,our ,mission was commenced at ,amoy by the late ,rev4 ,david ,abeel1 ,d4,d4 ,mr4 ,abeel arrived at ,amoy in company with the ,rev4 7now ,bishop7 ,boone1 on the #bdth of ,february1 #ahdb4 ,on the #bb;d of ,june1 #ahdd1 ,rev4 ,e4 ,doty and ,rev4 ,wm4 ,j4 ,pohlman arrived at ,amoy from ,borneo4 ,in ,dec41 #ahdd1 ,mr4 ,abeel in consequence of continued and increasing ill health left ,amoy on his return to the ,united ,states4 ,mrs4 ,pohlman and ,mrs4 ,doty having been removed by death1 ,mr4 ,doty left ,amoy for the ,united ,states1 ,nov4 #ab1 #ahde1 with his own and ,mr4 ,pohlman's children4 ,rev4 ,j4 ,v4 ,n4 ,talmage accompanied ,mr4 ,doty on his return to ,amoy1 arriving ,aug4 #ai1 #ahdg4 ,mr4 ,pohlman was lost at sea ,jan4 #e1 or #f1 #ahdi4 ,mr4 ,talmage was away from ,amoy from ,march #bd1 #ahdi to ,july #af1 #ahej4 ,rev4 ,j4 ,joralmon arrived at ,amoy1 ,april #ba1 #ahef4 ,mr4 ,boone1 of the ,episcopal ,church of the ,united ,states1 was at ,amoy but a short time4 ,after him there have been no missionaries of that church at ,amoy4 ,the mission of the ,american ,presbyterian ,board at ,amoy was commenced by the arrival of ,rev4 ,t4 ,l4 ,mc,bryde1 in ,june1 #ahdb4 ,he left ,amoy in ,january1 #ahdc4 ,james ,c4 ,hepburn1 ,m4,d41 arrived in #ahdc1 and retired in #ahde4 ,rev4 ,john ,lloyd arrived in ,dec41 #ahdd4 ,rev4 ,h4 ,a4 ,brown arrived in #ahde and left ,amoy for the ,united ,states in ,dec41 #ahdg4 ,mr4 ,lloyd died in ,dec41 #ahdh4 ,since then that mission has not been continued at ,amoy4 ,w4 ,h4 ,cumming1 ,m4,d41 a medical missionary1 but not connected with any missionary society1 arrived at ,amoy1 ,june1 #ahdb1 and left ,amoy in the early part of #ahdg4 ,the ,london ,missionary ,society's ,mission at ,amoy was commenced by the arrival of ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,j4 ,stronach and ,william ,young1 in ,july1 #ahdd4 ,since then other agents of that society have arrived1 some of whom have again left and some still remain4 ,they now number three ministers of the ,gospel and one physician4 ,the ,mission of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church at ,amoy was commenced by the arrival of ,james ,h4 ,young1 ,m4,d41 in ,may1 #ahej4 ,rev4 ,w4 ,c4 ,burns arrived in ,july1 #ahea4 ,rev4 ,james ,johnston arrived in ,dec41 #ahec4 ,dr4 ,young and ,mr4 ,burns left ,amoy in ,august1 #ahed4 ,mr4 ,johnston left ,amoy in ,may1 #ahee4 ,rev4 ,c4 ,douglas arrived at ,amoy in ,july1 #ahee4 ,he is now the only member of that ,mission at ,amoy4 ,all the members of this ,mission1 although sent out by the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 were originally members of the ,free ,church of ,scotland4 ,the present missionary force at ,amoy are three ministers and one physician of the ,london ,missionary ,society 7in their ecclesiastical relations they are ,independents71 one minister of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 and ourselves1 three ministers of the ,dutch ,reformed ,church4 ,the first converts received into the ,christian ,church at ,amoy were two old men1 baptized by ,mr4 ,pohlman in ,april1 #ahdf4 ,the next converts received were two men baptized by ,mr4 ,a4 ,stronach1 of the ,london ,missionary ,society1 in ,march1 #ahdh4 ,a few months later ,mr4 ,stronach baptized one more4 ,since then every year has witnessed additions to the church4 ,we received into our church by baptism in #ahdi three persons2 in #ahej five2 in #ahea eight2 in #aheb two2 in #ahec six2 in #ahed including those baptized at ,peh-chui-ia1 fifty-three2 in #ahee including ,peh-chui-ia and ,chioh-be1 seventy-two2 during the present year thus far1 also including ,pehchui-ia and ,chioh-be1 fifty4 ,the whole number now connected with our church at ,amoy is one hundred and twenty-one4 ,the number at ,peh-chui-ia is forty-two4 ,the number at ,chioh-be is thirty-one4 ,in all1 the number is one hundred and ninety-four4 ,the ,london ,mission has also been greatly blessed4 ,they now have in connection with their church at ,amoy and in vicinity one hundred and fifty-one members4 ,after acquiring the language of this people1 we have felt that our great work is to preach the ,gospel4 ,every other department of labor must be entirely secondary to this4 ,the ,scriptures are clearly in favor of these views1 and our own experience has confirmed these views until they have become very decided4 ,we have already mentioned the name of ,mr4 ,burns as uniting in labors with our church members4 ,the brethren of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 in the providence of ,god1 have been brought very near to us4 ,we have rendered each other much assistance and often have labored together almost as one ,mission4 ,when ,mr4 ,burns arrived at ,amoy1 providentially he found and secured a room not far from our church edifice1 and near to the residences of several of our church members4 ,as soon as he was able to use the dialect of ,amoy1 many of our church members and inquirers were glad of the privilege of meeting with him daily for the study of the ,scriptures and for prayer4 ,mr4 ,burns came to ,amoy for the simple purpose of preaching the ,gospel4 ,he did not wish to take the responsibility of organizing a separate church4 ,he was ready to co-operate with us or with the ,london brethren4 ,he often rendered them assistance likewise4 ,when he became able to use the language with freedom1 he often preached in our church4 ,when he went out for street preaching1 or went out to visit the towns and villages around1 he always took with him native ,christians1 usually the members of our church1 having been providentially placed among them4 ,early in the year #ahed1 ,mr4 ,burns with some of our church members visited the region of ,peh-chui-ia4 ,much interest was awakened in that region in the subject of ,christianity4 ,a goodly number1 we trust1 were born of the ,spirit4 ,mr4 ,burns did not wish to take the responsibility of a pastor1 desiring to keep himself free for evangelistic labors wherever a door might be opened before him4 ,he requested us to examine the candidates for baptism and receive those whom we deemed worthy1 and take the pastoral care of them4 ,we yielded to the desires of ,mr4 ,burns and took charge of ,pehchui-ia4 ,mr4 ,burns continued to spend much of his time in that place and vicinity until he was called to leave ,amoy4 ,shortly after the departure of ,mr4 ,burns1 learning that the ,english ,presbyterians would have been glad to retain ,peh-chui-ia1 and ,mr4 ,johnston 7,e4 ,p47 being willing to take charge there as far as he was able1 we very willingly relinquished it to them4 ,he was still unable to use the language with freedom1 so we continued to visit the place as often as we could4 ,before ,mr4 ,johnston's knowledge was sufficient to relieve us of the pastoral care of that interesting church1 his ill-health compelled him to return to his native land4 ,his place was soon supplied by the arrival of ,mr4 ,douglas4 ,we have continued the same pastoral care of that church4 ,lately our visits to the place have become less frequent1 as ,mr4 ,douglas has become better acquainted with the language4 ,in the latter half of the year #ahea1 some of the ,christians from ,peh-chui-ia went to the large town of ,chioh-be on business and preached the ,gospel as they had opportunity4 ,they found a few persons who listened to their message with interest and manifested a desire to hear more4 ,when this fact1 on their return1 was reported to the churches of ,peh-chui-ia and ,amoy1 other ,christians went to ,chioh-be4 ,a great interest was awakened4 ,a small house was rented for a chapel4 ,this house was thronged every day throughout the day and evening4 ,soon as we had opportunity we visited the place to converse with inquirers and examine candidates for baptism4 ,in ,january1 #ahee1 the first converts at that place were baptized4 ,the interest continued to increase4 ,we found the premises we had rented entirely too small4 ,as soon as a larger and more suitable place could be found it was secured4 ,soon after this a violent persecution broke out4 ,the immediate effect was greatly to hinder the work4 ,only those who were sufficiently interested in the ,gospel to raise them above the fear of man dared attend the place of worship4 ,still there has been constant progress4 ,if the churches gathered by us are to be organized simply with respect to the glory of ,god and their own welfare1 there is a fact in our circumstances which should have great weight in forming this organization4 ,this fact is the intimate relation and hitherto oneness of the churches under our care and under the care of the missionaries of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,in the foregoing short history of our work it will be seen that we have been and are closely connected with the missionaries of that ,church4 ,from the first we have had the pastoral care of their church gathered at ,peh-chui-ia and in the surrounding region4 ,they have not attempted the organization of any church at ,amoy4 ,by far the greater proportion of their influence and labors at ,amoy has been in the direction of assisting us in our work4 ,they have acted as though they thought it was of no importance whatever whether converts were received into church fellowship by us or them4 ,doubtless the church members1 although perfectly aware that we and our ,english ,presbyterian brethren are of different ,churches and different countries1 suppose that they form but one ,church4 ,when the time had arrived for a regular organization of our church in ,amoy1 the question presented itself3 ,shall we invite ,mr4 ,douglas1 then and still the only ,english ,presbyterian missionary at ,amoy1 to unite with us in our deliberations8 ,by the providence of ,god our missions had been brought closely together4 ,we had been laboring together in the work of the ,lord1 were one in sympathy1 held the same views in theology1 and did not differ in regard to church polity4 ,but one answer could be given to this question4 ,we cordially invited him4 ,he as cordially accepted of our invitation1 and heartily engaged with us in our church meetings1 held in reference to the election of church officers4 ,he voted with us and our church members4 ,he united with us in setting apart the officers-elect to their respective offices1 and since then has usually united with us in our deliberations in our consistorial meetings4 ,surely in this matter we have acted according to the leadings of ,providence and the spirit and instructions of the ,gospel of ,christ2 for in ,christ ,jesus there is no distinction of nationalities4 ,our labors having thus far been so intermingled and our churches so intimately related and united together1 we can see no sufficient reason for separation4 ,if there be any advantage in the association of churches by the organization of ,classes or ,presbyteries1 why should we deprive these churches in their infancy and weakness of this advantage8 ,we have always taught our people to study the ,word of ,god and make it their rule4 ,can we give them a sufficient reason for such separation8 ,doubtless if we were to tell them1 that the churches by which we are sent out and sustained desire separate organizations1 and therefore should recommend such organizations to them1 they would acquiesce4 ,they know that they cannot stand alone4 ,gratitude1 also1 and ardent affection for those churches by whose liberality they have been made acquainted with the ,gospel1 would lead them to do all in their power to please those churches4 ,we can hardly suppose1 however1 that such separation would accord with their judgment1 or with those ,christian feelings which they have always exercised towards each other as members of the same ,church4 ,but we do not suppose that either our ,church or the ,english ,presbyterian ,church will recommend such a separation4 ,the ,dutch ,church in ,north ,america has always manifested an enlarged ,christian spirit1 and therefore we cannot doubt but that she will approve of an organization by which the churches here1 which are one in doctrine and one in spirit1 may also be one in ecclesiastical matters4 ,neither do we doubt but that the ,english ,presbyterian ,church will also approve of the same course4 ,we do not know as much of that ,church as we hope to know in the future4 ,yet we know enough of her already to love her4 ,but if separation must come1 let not our ,church bear the responsibility4 ,another question of importance may arise4 ,what shall be our relation as individuals to the ,dutch ,church in ,america8 ,we see no reason and desire not to change the relation we have always sustained4 ,we were set apart by that ,church to do the work of evangelists4 ,this is the work in which we still wish to be engaged4 ,we must preach the ,gospel4 ,as ,god gives success to our labors we must organize churches1 and take oversight of them as long as they need that oversight4 ,when we find suitable men1 we must 'ordain elders in every city4' ,such is the commission we hold from our ,church1 and from the great ,head of the ,church4 ,theoretically1 difficulties may be suggested4 ,practically1 with the principles on which we have thus far acted1 we see no serious difficulties in our way4 ,we must seek for ,divine guidance1 take the ,scriptures for our rule1 and follow the leadings of ,providence4 ,we are all liable to err4 ,but with these principles1 assisted by your counsels1 and especially by your prayers1 we have reason to believe1 and do believe1 that the ,spirit of truth will guide us in the way of truth4 ,dr4 ,talmage also sent a communication to ,dr4 ,thomas ,de ,witt1 then ,corresponding ,secretary for the ,reformed ,church in co-operation with the ,american ,board4 ,it reads3 ,oct4 #a1 #ahef4 ,there are some other facts arising out of the circumstances of this people1 and of the nature of the ,chinese language1 which have a certain importance and perhaps should be laid before the ,church4 ,no part of the name of our ,church1 peculiar to our denomination1 can be translated and applied to the church in ,chinese without inconvenience or great detriment4 ,the words1 ,protestant and ,reformed1 would be to the ,chinese unintelligible1 consequently inconvenient4 ,the only translation we can give to the name ,dutch ,church1 would be ,church of ,holland4 ,this1 besides conveying in part an incorrect idea1 would be very detrimental to the interests of the ,church among the ,chinese4 ,the ,chinese know but little of foreign nations and have for ages looked upon them all as barbarians4 ,of course the views of the native ,christians are entirely changed on this subject4 ,but our great work is to gather converts from the heathen4 ,we should be very careful not to use any terms by which they would be unnecessarily prejudiced against the ,gospel4 ,it is constantly charged upon the native ,christians1 both as a reproach and as an objection to ,christianity1 that they are following foreigners or have become foreigners4 ,the reproach is not a light one1 but the objection is easily answered4 ,the answer would not be so easy if we were to fasten on the ,christians a foreign name4 ,at the meeting of the ,general ,synod1 held in the village of ,ithaca1 ,new ,york1 ,june1 #aheg1 the following resolutions recommended by the ,committee on ,foreign ,missions1 ,talbot ,w4 ,chambers1 ,d4,d41 ,chairman1 were adopted3 ,,the ,,memorial ,,of ,,the ,,amoy ,,mission4 ,among the papers submitted to the ,synod is an elaborate document from the brethren at ,amoy1 giving the history of their work there1 of its gradual progress1 of their intimate connection with missionaries from other bodies1 of the formation of the ,church now existing there1 and expressing their views as to the propriety and feasibility of forming a ,classis at that station4 ,in reply to so much of this paper as respects the establishment of individual churches1 we must say that while we appreciate the peculiar circumstances of our brethren1 and sympathize with their perplexities1 yet it has always been considered a matter of course that ministers1 receiving their commission through our ,church1 and sent forth under the auspices of our ,board1 would1 when they formed converts from the heathen in an ecclesiastical body1 mould the organization into a form approaching1 as nearly as possible1 that of the ,reformed ,protestant ,dutch ,churches in our own land4 ,seeing that the converted heathen1 when associated together1 must have some form of government1 and seeing that our form is1 in our view1 entirely consistent with1 if not required by the ,scriptures1 we expect that it will in all cases be adopted by our missionaries1 subject1 of course1 to such modifications as their peculiar circumstances may for the time render necessary4 ,the converts at ,amoy1 as at ,arcot and elsewhere1 are to be regarded as 'an integral part of our ,church1' and as such are entitled to all the rights and privileges which we possess4 ,and so in regard to the formation of a ,classis4 ,the ,church at home will undoubtedly expect the brethren to associate themselves into a regular ecclesiastical organization1 just as soon as enough materials are obtained to warrant such measure1 with the hope that it will be permanent4 ,we do not desire churches to be prematurely formed in order to get materials for a ,classis1 nor any other exercise of violent haste1 but we equally deprecate unnecessary delay1 believing that a regular organization will be alike useful to our brethren themselves and to those who1 under them1 are in training for the first office-bearers in the ,christian ,church on heathen ground4 ,as to the difficulties suggested in the memorial1 respecting the different ,particular ,synods to which the brethren belong1 and the delays of carrying out a system of appellate jurisdiction covering ,america and ,china1 it is enough to say3 #a4 ,that the ,presbyterian ,church 7,old ,school7 finds no insuperable difficulties in carrying into operation her system1 which comprehends ,presbyteries and ,synods in ,india as well as here2 and1 #b4 ,that whatever hindrances may at anytime arise1 this body will1 in humble reliance upon the ,divine aid and blessing1 undertake to meet and remove them as far as possible4 ,the ,church at home assumes the entire responsibility of this matter1 and only ask the brethren abroad to carry out the policy held steadily in view from the first moment when our ,missions began4 ,the following resolutions are recommended3 ,resolved1 #a4 ,that the ,synod view with great pleasure the formation of churches among the converts from heathenism1 organized according to the established usages of our branch of ,zion4 #b4 ,that the brethren at ,amoy be directed to apply to the ,particular ,synod of ,albany to organize them into a ,classis1 so soon as they shall have formed churches enough to render the permanency of such organization reasonably certain4 ,,ix4 ,,church ,,union 7,,continued74 ,this utterance of the ,general ,synod1 while made with the best intentions1 fell with exceedingly painful echo on the ears of the missionaries at ,amoy4 ,was the flock they had gathered with so much prayer and effort1 and reared with such sedulous care1 to be thus summarily divided and perhaps in consequence scattered8 ,the missionaries felt persuaded that their brethren in the ,united ,states could not fully appreciate the situation or there would be no such action4 ,mr4 ,talmage again took up his pen in behalf of his ,chinese flock4 ,if it had been dipped in his own blood his utterances could not have been more forceful-could not have palpitated with a heartier affection for his ,chinese brethren's sake4 ,on ,dec4 #bc1 #aheg1 he wrote to ,dr4 ,isaac ,ferris1 who1 since the separation from the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m4 at the last ,synod1 had become the ,corresponding ,secretary for the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of tile ,reformed ,church4 ,so far as we can judge from the report of the proceedings of ,general ,synod as given in the ,christian ,intelligencer1 one of the most important considerations1 perhaps altogether the most important mentioned1 why the church gathered by us here should not be an integral part of the ,church in ,america1 was entirely overlooked4 ,that consideration relates to the unity of ,christ's ,church4 ,will our ,church require of us1 will she desire that those here who are altogether one1-one in doctrine1 one in their views of church order1 and one in mutual love1-be violently separated into two denominations8 ,we cannot believe it4 ,suppose the case of two churches originally distinct1 by coming into contact and becoming better acquainted with each other1 they find that they hold to the same doctrinal standards1 and they explain them in the same manner2 they have the same form of church government and their officers are chosen and set apart in the same way2 they have the same order of worship and of administering the sacraments2 all their customs1 civil1 social1 and religious1 are precisely alike1 and they love each other dearly2 should not such churches unite and form but one denomination8 ,yet such a supposition does not and cannot represent the circumstances of the churches gathered by us and by our ,scotch brethren of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,our churches originally were one1 and still are one1 and the question is not whether those churches shall be united1 but shall they be separated8 ,possibly the question will be asked1 why were these churches allowed originally to become one8 ,we answer1 ,god made them so1 and that without any plan or forethought on our part1 and now we thank ,him for ,his blessing that ,he has made them one1 and that ,he has blessed them because they are one4 ,our position is a somewhat painful one4 ,we desire to give offense to no one1 and we do not wish to appear before the ,church as disputants4 ,we have no controversy with any one4 ,we have neither the time nor inclination for controversy4 ,we are 'doing a great work1' and cannot 'come down4' ,yet our duty to these churches here and to the ,church at home and to our ,master demands of us imperatively that we state fully and frankly our views4 ,we have the utmost confidence in our church4 ,we have proved this by endeavoring to get our views fully known4 ,the subject did not come up again for discussion before the ,general ,synod until #ahfc4 ,meanwhile the churches grew and multiplied4 ,the ,amoy church1 which in #ahef had been organized by the setting apart of elders and deacons1 was separated into two organizations in #ahfj1 preparatory to the calling of pastors4 ,two men were chosen by the churches in #ahfa4 ,in #ahfb an organization was formed called the ,tai-hoey1 or ,great ,elders' ,meeting1 consisting of the missionaries of both the ,english ,presbyterian and ,reformed ,churches and the delegated elders from all the organized congregations under their united oversight4 ,the two men chosen as pastors were examined1 ordained1 and installed by this body4 ,during that year ,mr4 ,talmage was called to stand by the first gash life had cut in the churchyard turf for him4 ,his beloved wife1 ,mrs4 ,abby ,woodruff ,talmage1 was called to her reward1 leaving ,mr4 ,talmage with four motherless little ones4 ,he was compelled to go to the ,united ,states to secure proper care for his children4 ,he came in time to attend the ,general ,synod of #ahfc4 ,there he advocated most earnestly the course which the brethren at ,amoy had taken4 ,dr4 ,isaac ,ferris brought the subject before the ,synod in these words3 ,in #aheg the ,synod met at ,ithaca1 and a most remarkable ,synod it was4 ,according to the testimony of all who were present the ,spirit of ,god unusually manifested ,his gracious presence4 ,a venerable minister on his return remarked1 ',it was like heaven upon earth4' ,that ,synod1 under this extraordinary sense of the ,divine presence and unction1 judged that the time had arrived for the ,church to take the responsibility of supporting its foreign missionary work upon itself1 and1 accordingly1 in very proper resolutions1 asked of the ,american ,board to have the compact which had been in operation since #ahcb revoked1 and the ,mission transferred to our ,foreign ,board4 ,it was at that meeting that a memorial of our brethren at ,amoy on the subject of organization1 very ably drawn1 and presenting fully their views and reasonings1 was read and deliberated on4 ,their work had been wonderfully blessed1 and the whole ,church was called to thanksgiving1 and the time seemed at hand to realize the expectations of years4 ,the brethren asked advice1 and the ,synod adopted the carefully-drawn report of a committee of which the ,president was chairman1 advising the organization of a ,classis at as early a day as was practicable4 ,our brethren at ,amoy were not satisfied with this advice1 and considered the subject as not having had a sufficient hearing4 ,in the progress of their work they have deemed it proper to form a different organization from what the ,synod advised1 and which was in harmony with the constant aim of our ,church on the subject4 ,the ,board of ,foreign ,missions1 when the matter came before them1 could only kindly protest and urge upon the brethren the action of the ,synod of #aheg4 ,not having ecclesiastical power1 they could only argue and advise4 ,they would have it remembered that all has been done in the kindest spirit4 ,they have differed in judgment from the ,mission1 but not a ripple of unkind feeling has arisen4 ,the question now before the ,synod is1 whether this body will recede from the whole policy of the ,church and its action in #aheg or reaffirm the same4 ,this ,synod1 in its action on this case1 will decide for all its missions1 and in all time1 on what principles their missionaries shall act1 and hence this becomes probably the most important question of this session4 ,it is in the highest degree desirable that the ,synod should give the subject the fullest the most patient and impartial examination1 and that our brother1 who represents the ,amoy ,mission1 be fully heard4 ,mr4 ,talmage next addressed the ,synod and offered the following resolution3 ,resolved1 ,that the ,synod hear with gratitude to ,god of the great progress of the work of the ,lord at ,amoy1 and in the region around1 so that already we hear of six organized churches with their ,consistories1 and others growing up not yet organized1 two native pastors who were to have been ordained on the #bith of ,march last1 and the whole under the care of a ,classis composed of the missionaries of our ,church and of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 the native pastors1 and representative elders of the several churches4 ,it calls for our hearty gratitude to the great ,head of the ,church that the missionaries of different ,churches and different countries have been enabled1 through ,divine grace1 to work together in such harmony4 ,it is also gratifying to us that these churches and this ,classis have been organized according to the polity of our ,church1 inasmuch as the ,synod of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church has approved of the course of their missionaries in uniting for the organizing of a church after our order2 therefore1 this ,synod would direct its ,board of ,foreign ,missions to allow our missionaries to continue their present relations with the missionaries of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 so long as the present harmony shall continue1 and no departure shall be made from the doctrines and essential policy of our ,church1 or until the ,synod shall otherwise direct4 ,there were speeches for and against1 by distinguished men in the ,church4 ,dr4 ,t4 ,w4 ,chambers1 ,president of the ,synod1 made the concluding address1 as follows3 ,if there be any one here who has a deep and tender sympathy with our brother ,talmage and his senior missionary colleague 7,mr4 ,doty71 ,i claim to be the man4 ,mr4 ,doty was my first room-mate at college thirty-one years ago1 and ever since we have been fast friends4 ,as to the other1 his parents-themselves among the most eminent and devoted ,christians ever known-were long members of the church in ,new ,jersey1 of which ,i was formerly in charge4 ,for several years ,i was his pastor4 ,i signed the testimonials of character required by the ,american ,board before they commissioned him4 ,i pronounced the farewell address when he left this country in #ahej4 ,i have watched with intense interest his entire career since1 and no one welcomed him more warmly when he returned last year1 bearing in his face and form the scars which time and toil had wrought upon his constitution4 ,it is needless to say1 then1 that ,i love him dearly for his own sake1 for his parents' sake1 for his numerous friends' sake1 but1 more than all1 for that ,master's sake whom he has so successfully served4 ,nor is there anything within reason which ,i would not have the ,church do for him4 ,he shall have our money1 our sympathy1 our prayers1 our confidence-the largest liberty in shaping the operations of the ,mission he belongs to4 ,but when we come to the matter now at issue1 ,i pause4 ,much as ,i love our brother1 ,i love ,christ more4 ,nor can ,i surrender1 out of deference to our missionaries1 the constitution1 the policy1 the interests of our ,church1--all of which are involved in this matter4 ,nay1 even their own welfare1 and that of the mission they are so tenderly attached to1 demand that we should deny their request4 ,what is this request8 ,that we should allow our brethren at ,amoy1 together with the ,english ,presbyterian missionaries there1 to form with the native pastors and the delegates from the native churches1 an independent ,classis or ,presbytery1 over whose proceedings this body should have no control whatever1 by way of appeal1 or review1 or in any other form4 ,now1 the first objection to this is1 that it is flatly in the face of our constitution and order4 ,a 'self-regulating ,classis' is a thing which has never been heard of in the ,dutch ,church since that ,church had a beginning4 ,it is against every law1 principle1 canon1 example1 and precedent in our books4 ,perhaps the most marked feature of our polity is the subordination of all parts of our body1 large or small1 to the review and control of the whole as expressed in the decisions of its highest ecclesiastical assembly4 ,i submit that this ,synod has no right to form or to authorize any such self regulating ecclesiastical body1 or to consent that any ministers of our ,church should hold seats in such a body4 ,if we do it1 we transcend the most liberal construction which has ever been known to be given to the powers of ,general ,synod4 ,how1 then1 can we do this thing8 ,whatever our sympathies1 how can we violate our own order1 our fundamental principles1 the polity to which we are bound by our profession1 by our subscription1 by every tie which can bind religious and honorable men8 ,moreover1 the thing we are asked to do contravenes our missionary policy from the beginning4 ,as far back as #ahcb1 when we made a compact with the ,american ,board1 one essential feature of the plan was that we should have 'an ecclesiastical organization' of our own4 ,without this feature that plan would never have been adopted2 and the apprehension that there might be some interference with this cherished principle was at least one of the reasons why the plan1 after working successfully for a quarter of a century1 was at length abrogated4 ,and so when1 in #aheg1 we instituted a missionary board of our own1 this view was distinctly announced4 ,it was my privilege to draw up the report on the subject which has been so often referred to4 ,that report did not express merely my view1 or that of the committee1 but the view of the entire ,synod4 ,nor from that day to this has there been heard anywhere within our bounds even a whisper of objection from minister1 elder1 or layman in regard to the positions then taken4 ,it is our settled1 irreversible policy4 ,deep down in the heart of the ,church lies the conviction that our missionaries1 who carry to the heathen the doctrine of ,christ as we have received it1 must also carry the order of ,christ as we have received it4 ,certain unessential peculiarities may1 from the force of circumstances1 be left in abeyance for a time1 or even permanently1 but the dominant features must be retained4 ,it is not enough to have genuine ,consistories1 we must have genuine ,classes4 ,and1 under whatever modifications1 the substantive elements of our polity must be reproduced in the mission churches established by the blessing of ,god upon the men and means furnished by our ,zion4 ,further1 ,mr4 ,president1 it is to be remembered that we are acting for all time4 ,it is not this one case that is before us4 ,we are settling a precedent which is to last for generations4 ,relax your constitutions and laws for this irregularity and you open a gap through which a coach and four may be driven4 ,every other mission1 under the least pretext1 will come and claim the same or a similar modification in their case1 and you cannot consistently deny them4 ,the result will be an ecclesiastical chaos throughout our entire missionary field4 ,let us begin as we mean to hold out4 ,let us settle this question now and settle it aright4 ,we direct our missionaries what ,gospel to preach1 what sacraments to administer1 what internal organization to give to single churches4 ,let us1 in the same manner and for the same reasons1 say what sort of bonds shall unite these churches to each other and govern their mutual relations and common interests4 ,i know we are told that the hybrid organization which now exists is every way sufficient and satisfactory2 that it is the fruit of ,christian love1 and that to disturb it would be rending the body of ,christ4 ,here one might ask how it came to exist at all1 seeing that this ,synod spoke so plainly and unambiguously in #aheg4 ,and ,i for one cordially concur in the remark of the ,elder ,schieffelin1 that the brethren there 'deserve censure4' ,we do not censure them1 nor do we propose to do so1 but that they deserve it is undeniable4 ,but the point is1 how can our disapproval of the mongrel ,classis mar the peace of the ,amoy brethren8 ,there is already a division among their churches4 ,some are supported by our funds1 others by the funds of the ,english ,presbyterians4 ,would it alter matters much to say1 and to make it a fact1 that some of those churches belong to a ,classis and others to a ,presbytery8 ,some have an ,american connection and others an ,english4 ,but this would break ,christian unity6 ,would it1 indeed8 ,you observed1 ,mr4 ,president1 the affectionate confidence1 blended with reverence1 with which ,i addressed from the chair the venerable ,dr4 ,skinner4 ,the reason was that we both belong to an association of ministers in ,new ,york which meets weekly for mutual fellowship1 enjoyment1 and edification in all things bearing on ministerial character and duties4 ,ecclesiastically we have no connection whatever4 ,i never saw his ,presbytery in session1 and ,i doubt if he ever saw our ,classis2 yet our brotherly1 ,christian1 and even ministerial communion is as tender1 and sacred1 and profitable as if we had been copresbyters for twenty years4 ,now1 who dare say that this shall not exist at ,amoy8 ,our brethren there can maintain precisely the same love1 and confidence1 and co-operation as they do now1 in all respects save the one of regular1 formal1 ecclesiastical organization4 ,but ,i will not detain the ,synod longer4 ,i would not have left the chair to speak1 but for the overwhelming importance of the subject4 ,it is painful to deny the eager and earnest wishes of our missionary brethren1 but ,i believe we are doing them a real kindness by this course4 ,union churches here have always in the end worked disunion1 confusion1 and every evil work4 ,there is no reason to believe that the result would be at all different abroad4 ,a division would necessarily come at some period1 and the longer it was delayed1 the more trying and sorrowful it would be4 ,i am opposed1 therefore1 to the substitute offered by ,brother ,chapman1 and also to that of ,brother ,talmage1 and trust that the original resolutions1 with the report1 will be adopted4 ,that report contains not a single harsh or unpleasant word4 ,it treats the whole case with the greatest delicacy as well as thoroughness1 but it reaffirms the action of #aheg in a way not to be mistaken4 ,and that is the ground on which the ,church will take its stand4 ,whatever time1 indulgence1 or forbearance can be allowed to our brethren1 will cheerfully be granted4 ,only let them set their faces in the direction of a distinct organization1 classical as well as consistorial1 and we shall be satisfied4 ,only let them recognize the principle and the details shall be left to themselves1 under the leadings of ,god's gracious providence4 ,the report of the ,committee on ,foreign ,missions1 ,e4 ,s4 ,porter1 ,d4,d41 chairman1 was adopted4 ,part of it reads as follows3 ,the missionaries there have endeared their names to the whole ,christian world1 and especially to that household of faith of which they are loved and honored members4 4444 ,no words at our command can tell what fond and flaming sympathies have overleaped broad oceans1 and bound them and us together4 ',words1 like nature1 half reveal1 ,and half conceal the soul within4' 4444 ,your committee are unable to see how it will be possible to carry the sympathies and the liberalities of the ,church with an increasing tide of love and sacrifice in support of our missionary work1 if it once be admitted as a precedent1 or established as a rule1 that our missionaries may be allowed to form abroad whatever combinations they may choose1 and aid in creating ecclesiastical authorities1 which supersede the authorities which commissioned them and now sustain them4 ,the committee are not prepared to recommend that any violent and coercive resolutions should be adopted for the purpose of constraining our brethren in ,amoy to a course of procedure which would rudely sunder the brotherly ties that unite them with the missionaries of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,but a ,christian discretion will enable them1 on the receipt of the decision of the present ,synod1 in this matter now under consideration1 to take such initial steps as are necessary to the speedy formation of a ,classis4 ,much must be left to their discretion1 prudence and judgment4 ,but of the wish and expectation of this ,synod to have their action conform as soon as may be to the resolutions of #aheg1 your committee think the brethren at ,amoy should be distinctly informed4 ,they therefore offer the following3 ',i4 ,resolved1 ,that the ,general ,synod1 having adopted and tested its plan of conducting foreign missions1 can see no reason for abolishing it2 but1 on the contrary1 believe it to be adapted to the promotion of the best interests of foreign missionary churches1 and of the denomination supporting them4 ',,ii4 ,that the ,board of ,foreign ,missions be1 and hereby is1 instructed to send to our missionaries at ,amoy a copy or copies of this report1 as containing the well-considered deliverance of the ,synod respecting their present relations and future duty4 ',,iii4 ,that the ,secretary of the ,foreign ,board be1 and hereby is1 directed to send to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hamilton1 of ,london1 ,convener of the ,presbyterian ,committee1 a copy of this report1 with a copy of the action of #aheg1 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 it4' ,in the report of the ,foreign ,committee of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church for #ahfc1 the following language is used in reference to the ,union ,chinese ,church of ,amoy3 ,we are hopeful1 however1 that on further consideration our brethren in ,america may allow their missionaries in ,china to continue the present arrangement1 at least until such time as it is found that actual difficulties arise in the way of carrying it out4 ',behold1 how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unify1' and there are few brethren towards whom we feel closer affinity than the members of that ,church1 which was represented of old by ,gomarus and ,witsius1 by ,voet and ,marck1 and ,bernard de ,moore1 and whose ,synod of ,dort preceded in time and pioneered in doctrine our own ,westminster ,assembly4 ,like them1 we love that ,presbyterianism and that ,calvinism which we hold in common1 and we wish to carry them wherever we go2 but we fear that it would not be doing justice to either1 and that it might compromise that name which is above every other1 if1 on the shores of ,china1 we were to unfurl a separate standard4 ,we would1 therefore1 not only respectfully recommend to the ,synod to allow its missionaries to unite presbyterially as well as practically with the brethren of the ,reformed ,dutch ,church2 but we would express the earnest hope that the ,synod of the sister ,church in ,america may find itself at liberty to extend to its missionaries a similar freedom4 ,these sentiments were unanimously adopted by the ,synod of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,the cause which ,mr4 ,talmage was advocating was too near his heart1 and his convictions were too strong to permit silence4 ,he prepared a pamphlet1 setting forth more clearly the position of the ,mission at ,amoy1 as well as answering objections made to it4 ,the exact standing of missionaries in the ,union ,chinese ,church of ,amoy was also explained by ,dr4 ,talmage in a later pamphlet1 for the contents of which see ,appendix4 ,a few quotations read3 ,in reference to it1 i4e41 the report of the ,committee on ,foreign ,missions1 we would make three remarks3 7#a7 ,it 7,resolution ,,iii47 seems rather a cavalier answer to the fraternal wish of the ,synod of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 as expressed in their action4 7#b7 ,the action of ,synod is made to rest 7,res4 ,i47 on the fact that ,synod had 'tested' this 'plan of conducting foreign missions4' ,if this be so1 and the plan had been found by experiment unobjectionable1 the argument is not without force4 ,but how and where has this test been applied and found so satisfactory8 ,our ,church has three ,missions among the heathen-one in ,india1 one in ,china1 and one in ,japan4 ,has it been tested in ,japan8 ,no4 ,they have not yet a single native church4 ,has it been tested in ,china8 ,if so1 the missionaries were not aware of it4 ,the test applied there has been of an opposite character and has been wonderfully successful4 ,the test has only been applied in ,india1 and has only begun to be applied even there4 ,there1 as yet1 there is but one native pastor4 ,their ,classis is more ,american than ,indian4 ,we must wait until they have a native ,classis before the test can be pronounced at all satisfactory4 7#c7 ,no consideration is had for the feelings1 wishes or opinions of the native churches4 ,the inalienable rights of the native churches1 their relation to each other1 their absolute unity-things of the utmost consequence-are not at all regarded1 are entirely ignored4 ,in reply to the advantages claimed to flow from the plan advocated by ,general ,synod1 ,mr4 ,talmage says3 #a4 ,the most important advantage is1 or is supposed to be1 that there will thus be higher courts of jurisdiction to which appeals may be made1 and by which orthodoxy and good order may be the better secured to the ,church at ,amoy4 ,such advantages1 if they can be thus secured1 we would by no means underrate4 ,there sometimes are cases of appeal for which we need the highest court practicable-the collective wisdom of the ,church1 so far as it can be obtained2 and the preservation of orthodoxy and good order is of the first importance4 ,now1 let us see whether the plan proposed will secure these advantages4 ,let us suppose that one of the brethren feels himself aggrieved by the decision of the ,classis of ,amoy and appeals to the ,particular ,synod of ,albany1 and thence to ,general ,synod4 ,he will not be denied the right to such appeal4 ,but1 in order that the appeal may be properly prosecuted and disposed of1 the appellant and the representative of ,classis should be present in these higher courts4 ,can this be secured8 ,is the waste of time1 of a year or more1 nothing8 ,and where shall the thousands of dollars of necessary expense come from8 ,now1 suppose this appellant to be a ,chinese brother4 ,he1 also1 has rights2 but how1 on this plan1 can he possibly obtain them8 ,suppose that the money be raised for him and he is permitted to stand on the floor of ,synod4 ,he cannot speak1 read1 or write a word of ,english4 ,not a member of ,synod can speak1 read1 or write a word of his language1 except it be the brother prosecuting him4 ,i ask1 is it possible for him thus to obtain justice8 ,but1 waiving all these disadvantages1 the only point on which there is the least probability that an appeal of a ,chinese brother would come up before the higher courts1 are points on which these higher courts would not be qualified to decide4 ,they would doubtless grow out of the peculiar customs and laws of the ,chinese1 points on which the missionary1 after he has been on the ground a dozen years1 often feels unwilling to decide1 and takes the opinion of the native elders in preference to his own4 ,is it right to impose a yoke like this on that little ,church which ,god is gathering1 by your instrumentality1 in that far-off land of ,china8 ,but it is said that these cases of appeal will very rarely or never happen4 ,be it so2 then this supposed advantage will seldom or never occur1 and1 if it should occur1 it would prove a disadvantage4 ,in regard to keeping the ,church pure in doctrine3 ,sure ,i am that the ,church in ,china cannot be kept pure by legislation on this1 the opposite side of the globe4 ,but we expect ,christ to reign over and the ,holy ,spirit to be given to the ,churches1 and the proper ecclesiastical bodies formed of them in ,china1 as well as in this land4 ,why not8 ,such are the promises of ,god4 ,the way to secure these things is by prayer and the preaching of the pure ,gospel1 not by legislation4 ,let the ,church be careful in her selection of missionaries4 ,send only such as she has confidence in-men of ,god1 sound in faith1 apt to teach-and then trust them1 or recall them4 ,don't attempt to control them contrary to their judgment4 ,strange if this1 which is so much insisted on as the policy of our ,church1 be right1 that she cannot get a single man1 of all she sends out to ,china1 to think so4 ,can it be that the missionary work is so subversive of right reason1 or of correct judgment1 or of conscientiousness1 that all become perverted by engaging in it8 #b4 ,another supposed advantage is the effect it will have in enlisting the sympathies of the ,church in behalf of the ,mission at ,amoy4 ,our people do not first ask whether it be building ourselves up1 before they sympathize with a benevolent object4 ,we believe the contrary is the exact truth4 ,it requires a liberal policy to call forth liberal views and actions4 ,as regards the enlisting of men1 look at the facts4 ,every man who has gone out from among you to engage in this missionary work begs of you not to adopt a narrow policy4 ,so in regard to obtaining of funds4 ,usually the men who are most liberal in giving are most liberal in feeling4 4444 ,however powerful the motive addressed to the desire to build up our own ,church1 there are motives infinitely more powerful4 ,such are the motives to be depended upon in endeavoring to elevate the standard of liberality among our people4 ,if our people have not yet learned1 they should be taught to engage in the work of evangelizing the world1 not for the sake of our ,church in ,america1 but for the sake of ,christ and ,his ,church1 and when the ,church thus built up is like our own they should be fully satisfied4 ,we believe they will be satisfied with this4 ,now let us consider the real or supposed evils of carrying out the decision of ,synod4 #a4 ,it will not be for the credit of our ,church4 ,she now has a name1 with other ,churches1 for putting forth efforts to evangelize the world4 ,shall she mar this good name and acquire one for sectarianism1 by putting forth efforts to extend herself1 not her doctrines and order-they are not sectarian1 and her missionaries esteem them as highly as do their brethren at home-but herself1 even at the cost of dividing churches which the grace of ,god has made one8 ,the decision of the last ,synod may not be the result of sectarianism among the people of our ,church4 ,we do not think it is4 ,but it will be difficult to convince our ,presbyterian brethren and others that it is not so4 ,by way of illustration ,i will suppose a case4 ,a4 is engaged in a very excellent work4 ,b4 comes to him1 and the following dialogue ensues3 ,b4 ',friend ,a41 ,i am glad to see you engaged in so excellent a work4 ,i also have concluded to engage in it4 ,i should be glad to work with you4 ,you know the proverbs1 ',union is strength1' and ',two are better than one4' ,a4 ',yes1 yes1 friend ,b41 ,i know these proverbs and believe them as thoroughly as you do4 ,but ,i have a few peculiarities about my way of working4 ,they are not many1 and they are not essential1 but ,i think they are very useful1 and wish to work according to them4 ,therefore1 ,i prefer working alone4' ,b4 ',yes1 friend ,a41 we all have our peculiarities1 and1 if they be not carried too far1 they may all be made useful4 ,i have been making inquiries about yours1 and ,i am glad to find they are not nearly so many1 or so different from mine1 as you suppose1 and as ,i once supposed4 ,the fact is1 ,i rather like some of them1 and though ,i may not esteem them all as highly as you do1 still ,i am willing to conform to them2 for ,i am fully persuaded that1 in work of this kind1 two working together can do vastly more than two working separately1 and the work will be much better done4 ,besides this1 the social intercourse will be delightful4' ,a4 ',i appreciate1 friend ,b41 your politeness1 and am well aware that all you say about the greater efficiency and excellence of united work and the delights of social intercourse is perfectly true4 ,but--but--well1 ,i prefer to work alone4' #b4 ,it will injure the efficiency of the ,church at ,amoy4 ,besides the objection furnished by the increase of denominations1 which the heathen will thus1 as readily as the irreligious in this country1 be able to urge against ,christianity1 it will deprive the churches of the benefit of the united wisdom and strength of the whole of them for self-cultivation and for ,christian enterprise1 and will introduce a spirit of jealous rivalry among them4 ,we know it is said that there need be no such result1 and that the native churches may remain just as united in spirit after the organization of two denominations as before4 ,such a sentiment takes for granted1 either that ecclesiastical organization has in fact no efficiency1 or that the ,chinese churches have arrived at a far higher state of sanctification than the churches have attained to in this land4 ,do not different denominations exhibit jealous rivalry in this land8 ,is ,chinese human nature different from ,american8 ,in consequence of such division the native ,churches will not be so able to support the ,gospel among themselves4 ,look at the condition of our ,western towns in this respect4 ,why strive to entail like evils on our missionary churches8 4444 ,but may not the ,church change or improve her decisions8 ,here is one of the good things we hope to see come out of this mistake of the ,church4 ,jesus rules1 and ,he is ordering all things for the welfare of ,his ,church and the advancement of ,his cause4 ,sometimes1 the better to accomplish this end1 ,he permits the ,church to make mistakes4 ,when we failed in former days to get our views made public1 it gave us no anxiety1 for we believed the doctrine that ,jesus reigns4 ,so we now feel1 notwithstanding this mistake4 ,the ,master will overrule it for good4 ,we do not certainly know how1 but we can imagine one way4 ,by means of this mistake the matter may be brought before our ,church1 and before other ,churches1 more clearly than it would otherwise have been for many years to come1 and in consequence of this we expect1 in due time1 that our ,church1 instead of coming up merely to the standard of liberality for which we have been contending1 will rise far above anything we have asked for or even imagined1 and other ,churches will also raise their standard higher4 ,hereafter we expect to contend for still higher principles4 ,this is the doctrine4 ,let all the branches of the great ,presbyterian family in the same region in any heathen country1 which are sound in the faith1 organize themselves1 if convenient1 into one organic whole1 allowing liberty to the different parts in things non-essential4 ,let those who adopt ,dutch customs1 as at ,amoy1 continue1 if they see fit1 their peculiarities1 and those who adopt other ,presbyterian customs1 as at ,ningpo and other places1 continue their peculiarities1 and yet all unite as one ,church4 ,this subject does not relate simply to the interests of the ,church at ,amoy4 ,it relates to the interests of all the missionary work of all the churches of the ,presbyterian order in all parts of the world4 ,oh1 that our ,church might take the lead in this catholicity of spirit1 instead of falling back in the opposite direction-that no one may take her crown6 ,but if she do not1 then we trust some other of the sacramental hosts will take the lead and receive1 too1 the honor1 for it is for the glory of the great ,captain of our salvation and for the interests of ,his kingdom4 ,we need the united strength of all these branches of ,zion for the great work which the ,master has set before us in calling on us to evangelize the world4 ,in expecting to obtain this union1 will it be said that we are looking for a chimera8 ,it ought to be so1 ought it not8 ,then it is no chimera4 ,it may take time for the ,churches to come up to this standard1 but within a few years we have seen tendencies to union among different branches of the ,presbyterian family in ,australia4 ,in ,canada1 in our own country1 and in ,england and ,scotland4 ,in many places these tendencies are stronger now than they have ever before been since the days of the ,reformation4 ,true1 human nature is still compassed with infirmities even in the ,church of ,christ4 ,but the day of the world's regeneration is approaching1 and as it approaches nearer to us1 doubtless the different branches of the ,presbyterian family will approach still nearer to each other4 ,god hasten the time1 and keep us also from doing anything to retard1 but everything to help it forward1 and to ,his name be the praise forever4 ,amen4 ,so strong was the feeling of the entire ,amoy ,mission1 that in ,september1 #ahfc1 the following communication was sent to the ,board of ,foreign ,missions3 ,dear ,brethren3 ,we received from you on the #bb;d ultimo the action taken by the ,general ,synod at its recent session at ,newburgh with regard to the proposed organization of a ,classis at ,amoy4 ,did we view this step in the light in which ,synod appears to have regarded it1 we should need in this communication to do no more than signify our intention to carry out promptly the requirements of ,synod2 but we regret to say that such is not the case1 and that ,synod1 in requiring this of us1 has asked us to do that which we cannot perform4 ,we feel that ,synod must have mistaken our position on this question4 ,it is not that we regard the proposed action as merely inexpedient and unwise2 if this were all1 we would gladly carry out the commands of ,synod1 transferring to it the responsibility which it offers to assume4 ,but the light in which we regard it admits of no transfer of responsibility4 ,it is not a matter of judgment only1 but also of conscience4 ,we conscientiously feel that in confirming such an organization we should be doing a positive injury and wrong to the churches of ,christ established at ,amoy1 and that our duty to the ,master and ,his people here forbids this4 ,therefore1 our answer to the action of ,general ,synod must be and is that we cannot be made the instruments of carrying out the wishes of ,synod in this report2 and further1 if ,synod is determined that such an organization must be effected1 we can see no other way than to recall us and send hither men who see clearly their way to do that which to us seems wrong4 ,we regret the reasons which have led us to this conclusion4 ,we have thought it best that each member of the ,mission should forward to you his individual views on this subject1 rather than embody them in the present communication4 ,we accordingly refer you to these separate statements which will be sent to you as soon as prepared4 ,commending you1 dear brethren1 to our common ,lord1 whose servants we all are1 and praying that ,he will guide us into all truth1 we are as ever1 ,your brethren in ,christ ,e4 ,,doty1 ,a4 ,,ostrom1 ,d4 ,,rapalje1 ,,leonard ,w4 ,,kip1 ,,aug4 ,,blauvelt4 ,,amoy1 ,sept4 #af1 #ahfc4 ,the last action taken by the ,general ,synod was in ,june1 #ahfd1 and reads as follows3 ,resolved1 ,that while the ,general ,synod does not deem it necessary or proper to change the missionary policy defined and adopted in #aheg1 yet1 in consideration of the peculiar circumstances of the ,mission of ,amoy1 the brethren there are allowed to defer the formation of a ,classis of ,amoy until1 in their judgment1 such a measure is required by the wants and desires of the ,churches gathered by them from among the heathen4 ,at the ,centenary ,conference on the ,protestant ,missions of the ,world1 held in ,exeter ,hall1 ,london1 #ahhh1 ,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,k4 ,taylor1 ,d4,d41 for many years a most efficient member of the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of the ,reformed ,church in ,america1 read a paper on ,union and ,cooperation in ,foreign ,missions1 in which he said3 ,actual union has been happily maintained at ,amoy1 ,china1 for more than a quarter of a century between the missionaries of the ,reformed 7,dutch7 ,church in ,america and those of the ,presbyterian ,church of ,england4 ,having labored together in the faith of the ,gospel1 gathering converts into the fold of ,christ1 and founding native churches1 these brethren could not and would not spoil the unity of those infant churches by making two denominations out of one company of believers nor would they sow in that virgin soil the seeds of sectarian divisions which have long sundered the ,protestant ,churches in ,europe and ,america4 ,the result was the organization of the ,tai-,hoey1 or ,great ,council of ,elders1 which is neither an ,english ,presbytery nor a ,reformed ,church ,classis1 but is like them both4 ,it is not an appendage of either of these foreign ,churches1 but is a genuine independent ,chinese ,christian ,church holding the standards and governed by the polity of the twin-sister ,churches that sent them the ,gospel by their own messengers4 ,the missionaries retain their relations with their own home ,churches and act under commissions of their own ,church ,board of ,missions4 ,they are not settled pastors1 but are more like the ,apostolic ,evangelists of ,new ,testament times1--preachers1 teachers1 founders of ,churches1 educators of the native ministry1 and superintendents of the general work of evangelization4 ,this ,tai-,hoey is a child of ,god1 which was 'born1 not of blood1 nor of the will of the flesh1 nor of the will of man1 but of ,god4' ,it is believed to be the first ecclesiastical organization for actual union and co-operation in mission lands by the representatives of churches holding the ,reformed faith and ,presbyterial polity4 ,its history has already been long enough to give the greatest value to its experience4 ,for seven years1 by tongue and pen1 ,mr4 ,talmage advocated the establishment of an independent ,chinese ,union ,church of the ,presbyterian order4 ,even then the ,reformed ,church was not fully persuaded and did not give her hearty assent4 ,the resolution of #ahfd was only tentative4 ,it was a plea for toleration4 ,this was not strange4 ,it was one of the earliest efforts1 if not the earliest1 for church union and separate autonomy on heathen soil4 ,it was a new departure4 ,but the battle was really won4 ,the question was never broached again4 ,the strongest opponents then are the warmest friends of union and autonomy now4 ,thirty years of happiest experience1 of hearty endorsement by native pastors and foreign missionaries are sufficient testimony to the wisdom of the steps then taken4 ,in ,november1 #ahfd1 ,mr4 ,talmage married ,miss ,mary ,e4 ,van ,deventer1 and forthwith proceeded to ,china1 where he arrived early in #ahfe4 ,in #ahfg1 ,rutgers ,college1 ,new ,jersey1 recognized ,mr4 ,talmage's successful and scholarly labors in ,china for a period of full twenty years1 by giving him the degree of ,doctor of ,divinity4 ,x4 ,,the ,,anti-,,missionary ,,agitation4 ,prince ,kung1 at ,sir ,rutherford ,alcock's parting interview with him in #ahfi1 said3 ,yes1 we have had a great many discussions1 but we know that you have always endeavored to do justice1 and if you could only relieve us of missionaries and opium1 there need be no more trouble in ,china4 ,he spoke the mind of the officials1 literati1 and the great masses of the people4 ,heathenism is incarnate selfishness4 ,how can a ,chinese understand that men will turn their backs on the ancestral home1 travel ten thousand miles with no other object but to do his countrymen good8 ,the natural ,chinaman cannot receive it4 ,he suspects us4 ,and he has enough to pillow his suspicion on4 ,let him turn the points of the compass4 ,he sees the great ,north-land in the hands of ,russia4 ,he sees the ,spaniard tyrannizing over the ,philippine ,islanders4 ,he sees ,holland dominating the ,east ,indies4 ,he sees ,india's millions at the feet of the ,british lion4 ,what are these benevolent-looking barbarians tramping up and down the country for8 ,why are they establishing churches and schools and hospitals8 ,they are trying to buy our hearts by their feigned kindness1 and hand us over to some ,western monarch ere long4 ,so reasons our unsophisticated ,chinese4 ,he is heartily satisfied with his own religion or utterly indifferent to any religion4 ,he has no ear for any new doctrine except as a curiosity1 to give momentary amusement1 and then to be thrown to the ground like a child's toy4 ,the missionary appears on the scene in dead earnest4 ,agitation is our profession4 ,we are among those who are trying to turn the world upside down4 ,the ,spirit of ,god touches and dissolves the apathy1 melts the ice1 breaks the stone1 and we see men alive unto ,god2 old things are passed away1 behold all things are become new4 ,what a change in the recipient of ,god's grace4 ,a change1 too1 takes place in him who resists4 ,icy apathy becomes burning1 bitter hatred4 ,the whole enginery of iniquity is set in motion to sweep off this strange foreign propaganda4 ,malicious placards are posted before every yamen and temple4 ,basest stories are retailed4 ,the barbarians dig out men's eyes and cut out men's hearts to make medicine of them4 ,the thirst for revenge is engendered1 until1 like an unleashed tiger1 the mob springs upon the missionary's home1 and returns not till its thirst has been slaked with the blood of the righteous4 ,that is the dark shadow hanging over missionary life in nearly every part of the ,chinese ,empire4 ,we have had no name to add to the foreign missionary martyr list1 from the region of ,amoy4 ,chinese martyrs there may have been4 ,men who have endured the lifelong laceration of taunt and sneer and suffered the loss of well nigh all things1 there have been not a few4 ,though the fires of persecution have burned with fiercer intensity in other parts of ,china1 yet we have not escaped having our garments singed in some of their folds4 ,perhaps the most widespread anti-missionary uprising in ,china occurred during the years #ahgj and #ahga4 ,it was during the summer of #ahgj that ,dr4 ,talmage was compelled to go to ,chefoo1 ,north ,china1 for much-needed rest and change4 ,on ,august #hth he wrote to ,dr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,ferris3 ,the next day after my arrival at ,chefoo the news was received of the terrible massacre at ,tientsin on ,june #bast4 7,tientsin is the port of ,peking1 and has a population of upwards of one million47 ,nine ,sisters of ,charity1 one foreign priest1 the ,french consul and other ,french officials and subjects1 and three ,russians--in all1 twenty-one ,europeans--were massacred4 ,many of them were horribly mutilated4 ,especially is this true of all the ,sisters4 ,their private residences and public establishments1 as well as all the ,protestant chapels within the city1 were destroyed4 ,not long after1 the ,american ,presbyterian ,mission at ,tung chow1 ,shantung ,province1 ,north ,china1 was broken up1 for fear of an intended massacre4 ,the missionaries were helped to ,chefoo by two vessels sent by the ,british ,admiral1 ,sir ,henry ,kellet4 ,at ,canton1 vile stories about foreigners distributing poisonous pills were gotten up1 and such was the seriousness of the crisis that two ,german missionaries had to flee for their lives1 one having his mission premises utterly destroyed4 ,a people whose credulity is most amazingly developed by feeding on fairy tales and demon adventures from their childhood1 are prepared to believe anything about the ocean barbarians whose name is never spoken without mingled fear and hatred and suspicion4 ,the ferment1 started at ,canton1 spread along the coast4 ,the people of ,amoy were inoculated with the virus4 ,on the #bb;d of ,september1 #ahga1 ,dr4 ,talmage addressed a letter to ,general ,le ,gendre1 ,u4 ,s4 ,consul at ,amoy1 informing him of the state of affairs in and about ,amoy4 ,the missionary knowing the language and having constant dealings with the people would be more likely to know the extent and gravity of any conspiracy against foreigners than the ,consul4 ,a part of the letter reads3 ,in ,july last inflammatory placards were extensively posted throughout the region about ,canton1 stating that foreigners had imported a large quantity of poison and had hired vagabond ,chinese to distribute it among the people2 that only foreigners had the antidote to this poison and that they refused to administer it1 except for large sums of money or to such persons as embraced the foreigner's religion4 ,in the latter part of ,july some of these placards and letters accompanying them were received by ,chinese at ,amoy from their ,canton friends4 ,they were copied1 with changes to suit this region1 and extensively circulated4 ,the man who seems to have been most active in their circulation was the ,cham-hu1 the highest military official at ,amoy under the ,admiral4 ,he united with the ,hai-hong1 a high civil official1 in issuing a proclamation1 warning the people to be on their guard against poison1 which wicked people were circulating4 ,this proclamation was not only circulated in the city of ,amoy1 but also in the country around4 ,it did not mention foreigners1 but the people by some other means were made to understand that foreigners were meant4 ,the district ,magistrate of the city of ,chiang-chiu issued a proclamation informing the people of the danger of poison1 especially against poison in their wells4 ,two days later he issued another proclamation1 reiterating his warnings1 and informing the people that he had arrested and examined a man who confessed that he1 with three others1 had been employed by foreigners to engage in this work of poisoning the people4 ,their especial business was to poison all the wells4 ,this so-called criminal was speedily executed4 ,a few days afterwards a military official at ,chiang-chiu also issued a proclamation to warn the people against poison1 and giving the confession of the above-mentioned criminal with great particularity4 ,the criminal is made to say that a few months ago he had been decoyed and sold to foreigners4 ,in company with more than fifty others--he was conveyed by ship to ,macao4 ,there they were distributed among the foreign hongs1 one to each hong4 7,hong is pigeon ,english for business house47 ,that afterwards he with three others was sent home1 being furnished with poison for distribution1 and with special direction to poison all the wells on their way4 ,they were to refer all those on whom the poison took effect to a certain individual at ,amoy1 who would heal them gratuitously1 only requiring of them their names4 ,this1 doubtless1 is an allusion to the hospital for the ,chinese at ,amoy1 where the names of the patients are of course recorded and they receive medicine and medical attendance gratuitously4 ,in this confession foreigners are designated by the opprobrious epithet of 'little'--that is1 contemptible--'demons4' ,this1 by the way1 is a phrase never used to designate foreigners in this region except by those in the mandarin offices4 ,besides the absurdity of charging foreigners with distributing poison1 the whole confession bears the evidence not only of falsehood1 but1 if ever made1 of having been put into the man's mouth by those inside the mandarin offices and forced from him by torture1 for the express purpose of exciting the intensest hatred against foreigners4 ,in consequence1 excitement and terror and hatred to foreigners1 and consequently to native ,christians1 became most intense1 and extended from the cities far into the country around4 ,wells were fenced in and put under lock and cover4 ,people were called together by the beating of gongs to draw water4 ,the buckets were covered in carrying water to guard against the throwing in of poison along the streets4 ,at the entrances of some villages notices were posted warning strangers not to enter lest they be arrested as poisoners4 ,in various places men were arrested and severely beaten on suspicion1 merely because they were strangers4 ,the native ,christians everywhere were subjected to much obloquy and sometimes to imminent danger1 charged with being under the influence of foreigners and employed by them to distribute poison4 ,even at the ,amoy hospital1 which has been in existence nearly thirty years1 the number of patients greatly decreased2 some days there were almost none4 ,in the large cities of ,tong-an and ,chinchew placards were posted in great numbers4 ,they averred that black and red pills were being sold by the agents of foreigners under presence of curing disease and saving the world4 ,instead they were causes of terrible diseases which none but the foreign dogs or their agents could cure4 ,and to get cured1 one must join the foreign religion or else give great sums4 ,it was asserted that all this poison emanated from the foreign chapels1 was often thrown into wells1 and secretly put into fish or other food in the markets4 ,a preacher1 sixty miles from ,foochow1 one hundred and fifty miles north of ,amoy1 barely escaped with his life4 ,he was pounded with stones while the bystanders called out1 ,kill the poisoner1 the foreign devils' poisoner6 ,the whole object of this diabolical calumniating was to kindle the people into a frenzy against foreigners1 especially missionaries1 and to make foreign powers believe that the people are so anti-foreign that the authorities cannot secure a foreigner's safety outside of the treaty ports4 ,even when these reports were traveling like wildfire there were those among the ,chinese who knew better1 and it was often said1 ,it cannot be the missionaries and native ,christians1 for have they not been going in and out among us all these years and they never did us any harm8 ,speaking of the ,political ,state of the ,country1 ,dr4 ,talmage says3 ,with the atrocities committed at ,tientsin the world is acquainted1 though many seem still to be under the grievous error that these atrocities were designed only against ,romanism and the ,french nation4 ,if this were the fact1 it would be no justification4 ,others are under an error equally grievous1 that the ,chinese ,government has given reasonable redress4 ,it has given no proper redress at all4 ,instead of reprobating the massacre1 it has almost1 and doubtless to the ideas of the ,chinese1 fully sanctioned it4 ,the leaders in the massacre have not been brought to justice4 ,the ,government has readily given life for life--a very easy matter in ,china--but it has so highly rewarded the families of the victims thus sacrificed to placate the barbarians1 and put so much honor on the corpses of these martyrs to foreign demands1 that it has encouraged similar atrocities whenever a suitable time shall arrive for their perpetration4 ,the ,imperial proclamation stating even this unsatisfactory redress1 which the ,government solemnly promised should be published throughout the land1 has not been published except in a few instances where foreigners have compelled it4 ,the massacre at ,tientsin is known throughout the empire1 but it is not known generally that any redress at all has been given4 ,instead of the publication of this proclamation the vilest calumnies--too vile to be even mentioned in ,christian ears--have been circulated secretly1 but widely throughout the land4 ,throughout the coast provinces of this southern half of the empire the people have been warned of a grand poisoning scheme gotten up by foreigners for the destruction of the ,chinese4 ,because the foreign residents in ,china report the truth in regard to the feeling of hatred to foreigners1 and warn the nations of the ,west of the coming war and designed extirpation of all foreigners1 for which ,china is assuredly preparing with all its might1 we are charged as being desirous of bringing on war4 ,we know that the ,church will not impute such motives to her missionaries4 ,but the testimony of missionaries agrees in this respect with that of other foreign residents4 ,we see the evidence1 as we walk the streets1 in the countenances and demeanor of the literati and officials1 and somewhat in the countenances and demeanor of the masses4 ,we see it in the changed policy of the local magistrates toward the ,christians2 we learn it from rumors which are circulated from time to time among the people2 we see it in the activity manifested in forming a proper navy and in preparing the army4 ,we learn it from the secret communications1 some of which have reached the light1 passing to and fro between the ,imperial ,government and the higher local authorities1 and we fear that we have another proof in the barbarous treatment of a shipwrecked crew some two weeks ago along the coast a little to the north of ,amoy4 ,a ,british mercantile steamer ran ashore in a fog4 ,she was unarmed4 ,the natives soon gathered in force and attacked the vessel4 ,the people on board attempted to escape in their boats4 ,these boats were afterwards attacked by a large fleet of fishing-boats and separated4 ,one boat's company were taken ashore1 stripped naked1 wounded1 and robbed of everything4 ,they finally made their way overland to ,amoy4 ,the other three boats1 after the crew and passengers had been stripped and robbed1 were let go to sea4 ,they providentially fell in with a steamer which took them to ,foochow4 ,such atrocities were once common here4 ,we do not believe that any large proportion of the foreign residents in ,china wish war4 ,we do wish1 however1 the rights secured to us by treaty4 ,these1 with a proper policy1 can be secured without war4 ,we wish most heartily to avoid war4 ,besides all its other evils it would be a sad thing for our work and our churches4 ,we still hope that ,god in ,his providence will ward it off4 ,he will do it in answer to our prayers if so it be best for ,his cause4 ,this is our only hope1 and it is sufficient4 ,the threatening war cloud did blow over1 and a restraint1 at least temporary1 was laid upon the officials and the people in their treatment of foreigners4 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,last ,,two ,,decades4 ,dr4 ,talmage was a man of strong convictions1 at the same time possessed of a spirit of genuine catholicity4 ,the brethren connected with the ,london and ,english ,presbyterian ,missions recognized him as a true friend4 ,in his later years he became the ,nestor of the three ,missions1 the venerated patriarch1 the trusted counselor4 ,it will not be inappropriate to give two letters expressive of his good-will toward his fellow laborers4 ,the one was written on the occasion of ,rev4 ,john ,stronach's return to ,england3 ,,forty ,,continuous ,,years ,,in ,,heathenism4 ,march #af1 #ahgf4 ,today we said farewell to the veteran missionary1 ,rev4 ,john ,stronach4 ,he has been laboring many years at this place in connection with the ,london ,missionary ,society4 ,this morning he left us for his native land by a new route4 ,each of the three ,missions has one or more boats employed exclusively in carrying missionaries and native preachers on their trips to and from the various outstations accessible by water4 ,these boats are called by the native ,christians 'hok-im-chun1' which means ',gospel boat4' ,mr4 ,stronach embarked on one of these ',gospel boats4' ,he expected to land at one of the ,mission stations on the mainland northeast from ,amoy1 and then travel overland on foot or by sedan-chair to ,foochow4 ,he will spend the remaining nights of this week and the ,sabbath at various stations under the care of the ,missions at ,amoy1 and say some parting words to the native ,christians4 ,he expects early next week to meet one of the ,methodist missionaries of ,foochow1 and in company with him to pass on to that city1 spending the nights at stations under the care of the ,foochow ,missions4 ,we may now travel overland from ,amoy to ,foochow 7a distance of one hundred and fifty miles7 and spend every night1 sometimes take our noonday meals1 at a ,christian chapel4 ,does this look as if missions were a failure in this region8 ,at ,foochow ,mr4 ,stronach will take steamer for ,shanghai1 thence to ,yokohama and ,san ,francisco4 ,all the missionaries of ,amoy and many ,chinese ,christians accompanied ,mr4 ,stronach to the boat4 ,it is very sad to say farewell to those with whom we have been long and pleasantly associated4 ,mr4 ,stronach left ,england in #ahcg1 thirty-nine years ago1 to labor as a missionary in the ,east ,indies4 ,he came to ,amoy in #ahdd1 shortly after this port was opened to foreign commerce and missionary labor4 ,he was soon sent to ,shanghai as one of the ,committee of ,delegates on the translation of the ,scriptures into the ,chinese language4 ,if he had done nothing more for ,china than his share in this great work1 the benefit would have been incalculable4 ,after the completion of this work in #ahec1 he returned to ,amoy1 where he has labored continuously1 with the exception of a short visit a few years ago to ,hongkong and ,canton1 and a shorter one last year to ,foochow4 ,very rarely has he been interrupted in his work by illness4 ,in the history of modern missions few instances can be found of missionaries who have been permitted to labor uninterruptedly for nearly forty years1 not even taking one furlough home4 ,in the case of ,mr4 ,stronach the language concerning ,moses may be literally applied1 ',his eye is not dim1 nor his natural force abated4' ,he does not yet have occasion to use spectacles1 and the route he has taken proves him still full of mental and physical vigor4 ,think of the discoveries and inventions during the last forty years6 ,will ,mr4 ,stronach recognize his native land8 ,the good hand of the ,lord be with him and make his remaining years as happy as his past ones have been useful4 ,the other letter1 to ,rev4 ,john ,m4 ,ferris1 ,d4,d41 was written on the occasion of the death of the ,rev4 ,carstairs ,douglas1 ,,ll4,d41 one of the most accomplished and scholarly men ever sent to any mission field3 ,,august #h1 #ahgg4 ,by this mail we have sad news to send4 ,it relates to the death of ,rev4 ,carstairs ,douglas1 ,,ll4,d41 of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission at ,amoy4 ,he was the senior member of that ,mission1 having arrived at ,amoy1 ,july1 #ahee1 twenty-two years ago4 ,dr4 ,douglas1 two weeks ago to-day1 was in apparent good health4 ,on that day he made calls on several members of the foreign community4 ,to some of them he remarked1 concerning his health1 that he had never felt better4 ,that evening he was in his usual place in our weekly prayer-meeting4 ,the next morning at four o'clock he began to feel unwell1 but did not wish to disturb others1 so called no one until about half past six4 ,then some medicine was given him and he sat down at his study-table for the morning reading of his ,hebrew ,bible4 ,about an hour after this he became much worse and the doctor was sent for4 ,on his arrival the physician pronounced his disease to be cholera of the most virulent type1 and the case to be almost without hope of recovery4 ,in consequence of our long and close intimacy word was soon sent to me4 ,i hastened to see him4 ,he was already very weak and could not converse without great effort4 ,everything was done for him that could be done4 ,but he continued failing until about a quarter before six in the afternoon1 ,july #bfth1 when he breathed his last4 ,he knew what his disease was and what would probably be its termination1 but evidently the ,king of ,terrors had no terror for him4 ,his end was peace4 ,he retained his consciousness nearly to the last4 ,he was to have preached in our ,english chapel to the foreign community on the following ,sabbath morning4 ,he told us his text was ,romans vi4 #bc1 ',the wages of sin is death1 but the gift of ,god is eternal life through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4' ,the text was so suitable to the occasion that ,i took it1 and in his place on the next ,sabbath morning preached his funeral sermon from his own text4 ,by overwork he had worn himself out1 and made himself an old man while he was yet comparatively young in years4 ,he came to ,china quite young and at the time of his death was only about forty-six years of age1 and yet men who had recently become acquainted with him thought him over sixty4 ,is any one inclined to blame him too much for this1 as though he wore himself out and sacrificed his life before the time8 ,if so1 he did it in a good cause and for a good ,master4 ,besides this1 he did more work during the twenty-two years of his missionary life than the most of men accomplish in twice that time4 ,and then1 he reminds us of ,one1 who when only a little over thirty years of age1 from similar causes1 seems to have acquired the appearance of nearly fifty 7,john viii4 #eg74 ,recently1 especially during the last year1 it was manifest1 at least to others1 that his physical strength was fast giving way4 ,yet he could not be prevailed upon to leave his field for a season for temporary rest1 or even to lessen the amount of his work4 ,i never knew a more incessant worker4 ,he was a man of most extensive general information4 ,i think ,i have never met with his equal in this respect4 ,he was acquainted with several modern ,european languages and was a thorough student of the original languages of ,holy ,scripture1 as witness the fact of his study of the ,hebrew ,bible1 even after his last sickness had commenced4 ,as regards the ,chinese language1 he was already taking his place among the first sinologues of the land4 ,we were indebted more to him1 perhaps1 than to any other one man for the success of the recent ,general ,missionary ,conference 7at ,shanghai74 ,at this first ,general ,conference of the ,protestant missionaries of ,china1 held at ,shanghai in ,may1 #ahgg1 ,dr4 ,talmage preached the opening sermon and read a paper1 the title of which was1 ,should the native churches in ,china be united ecclesiastically and independent of foreign churches and societies8 ,as a member of the ,committee of ,arrangements he labored indefatigably by writing ,ietters and in other ways to make it a success1 and though comparatively so young1 he well deserved the honor bestowed on him in making him one of the presidents of that body4 ',know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in ,israel8' ,this is a great blow to the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission in this place4 ,it is also1 because of the intimate relations of the two missions and the oneness of the churches under our care1 a great blow to us4 ,it is a great blow to the whole mission work in ,china--greater1 perhaps1 than the loss of any other man4 ,you will not wonder that ,i1 from my long intimacy with him1 feel the loss deeply1 more and more deeply every day and week1 as the days and weeks pass away without him4 ,,chinese ,,grandiloquence4 ,an episode in connection with the visit to ,china in #ahgh of ,dr4 ,jacob ,chamberlain1 of the ,arcot ,mission1 is described in a letter to ,dr4 ,goyn ,talmage1 as follows3 ,dear ,goyn3 ,i suppose ,i told you about the pleasant visit we had from ,dr4 ,chamberlain and family4 ,the ,doctor went with me to ,chiang-chiu4 ,while there his carpet-bag was stolen out of the boat4 ,we reported the case to a military officer1 and told him that we wanted the bag very much1 and if he could get it for us1 we should make no trouble about having the thief punished4 ,in a few days after our return to ,amoy the bag was sent to us with all its contents complete4 ,we bought an umbrella--a nice silk one--and sent it up to the officer as a present4 ,perhaps you would like to see a translation of the letter he sent in reply4 ,it will illustrate ,chinese politeness4 ,the letter reads as follows3 ',when the flocks of wild geese make their orderly flight1--the glorious autumnal season deserving of laudation1--my thoughts wander far away to you1 ,teacher ,talmage1 whose noble presence is worthy to be saluted with bow profound1 and whose dignified manners invite to close intimacy4 ,alas1 that our acquaintance should have been formed at this late day6--and that1 too1 when1 by wafting and by the plying of oars1 having arrived at 'the stream of the fragrant grain fields' 7poetic name for the region of ,chiang-chiu71 you met with the mishap of doggish thieves taking advantage of your want of watchfulness6 ,truly1 the blame of this rests on me4 ,how1 then1 can ,i have the hardihood to receive from you a present of value6 ,a reward of demerit1 how can ,i endure it6 ,during the three stages of life1 7youth1 middle age1 and old age17 ,i shall not be able to repay4 ,it is only by inheritance 7not by my own merit7 that ,i obtained the imperial favor of office4 ,thus1 my deficiency in the knowledge of official laws and governmental regulations has subjected you to fear and anxiety4 ,shame on me in the extreme6 shame in the extreme6 ,only by the greatest stretch could ,i hope to meet with forbearance1 how then could you take trouble and manifest kindness by sending a present4 ,writing cannot exhaust my words1 and words can not exhaust my meaning4 ,it will be necessary to come and express my thanks in person4 ,such are my supplications and such is my sense of obligation4 ,may there be golden peace to you1 ,teacher ,talmage1 and will your excellency please bestow your brilliant glance on what ,i have written6' ,is not that a specimen of humility8 ,the stealing was because of his neglect of duty1 and his neglect of duty was because of inability1 having obtained his office through the merit of his father or grandfather4 ,of course he kept the umbrella4 ,august #ah1 #ahhg1 marked the fortieth anniversary of ,dr4 ,talmage's arrival in ,china4 ,he said so little about it1 however1 that it was not known by the friends of the other missions until the very day dawned4 ,the members of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission--ladies and gentlemen--immediately concluded to secure some suitable memento expressive of their regard for ,dr4 ,talmage and his work4 ,a set of ,macaulay's ,history of ,england1 bound in tree calf1 and a finely bound copy of the latest edition of the ,royal ,atlas1 were sent for4 ,in connection with the presentation the following letter from ,rev4 ,w4 ,mc,gregor was read3 ,amoy1 ,april #c1 #ahhh4 ,dear ,dr4 ,talmage3 ,when on the #ahth of last ,august we learned that that day was the fortieth anniversary of your arrival in ,china1 the news came upon us unexpectedly4 ,we wished we had had more forethought and kept better count of the years1 so that we might have made more of the occasion4 ,each of us felt a desire to present you with some token of our regard1 and it seemed to us for many reasons best that we should do so unitedly as members of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission in ,amoy4 ,we had at the time nothing suitable to offer you1 but we agreed on certain books to be sent for1--not as having any special relations to the work in which you have been engaged1 but as being each a standard work of its kind4 ,the books have now arrived1 and ,i have much pleasure in sending them to you as something that may be kept in your family as a memorial of the day and a small token of our high esteem for yourself personally and of the great value we attach to the work you have done in the service of our common ,lord4 ,i am1 yours truly1 ,wm4 ,mc,gregor4 ,on behalf of the members of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission1 ,amoy4 ,dr4 ,talmage was blessed with a most vigorous physical constitution1 but years of struggle with one of the complaints peculiar to the tropics1 finally compelled his retirement from the ,mission field4 ,in the summer of #ahhi1 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,talmage embarked on the steamship ,arabia for the ,united ,states4 ,dr4 ,talmage turned his face to the old home-village1 ,bound ,brook1 ,new ,jersey1 all the time cherishing the hope of one more return to ,china and his laying down the shepherd's crook and robe among the flock he had gathered from among the heathen4 ,that hope was not to be realized4 ,though he had left ,amoy1 yet he ceased not to do what he could for the work there4 ,though compelled to lie on his back much of the time1 making writing difficult1 he sent letters to the ,chinese ,monthly ,magazine and to not a few of the pastors1 encouraging them in their labors4 ,chiefly did he devote himself to the completion of a ,character ,colloquial ,dictionary in the ,amoy language1 intended to be of special service to the ,chinese ,christian ,church4 ,it was intended to facilitate the study of the ,chinese ,character1 especially those ,characters used in the ,chinese ,bible4 ,it was also calculated to promote the study of the ,romanized ,colloquial ,version of the ,scriptures as well as other ,romanized ,colloquial literature4 ,in the midst of multiplied duties and many distractions he had wrought on it for upwards of a score of years4 ,he was eager to make it thoroughly reliable4 ,he spared no pains to that end4 ,he always felt very much out of patience with any one who would give to the public an inaccurate book2 and it was the desire to make his dictionary as accurate as possible that kept him from having it published some years since4 ,he consulted ,chinese literary men4 ,he pored over ,chinese dictionaries4 ,he brought it home with him1 requiring1 as he thought1 still further revision1 and his last labors were the completion of it with the valued assistance of the ,rev4 ,daniel ,rapalje1 of the ,amoy ,mission4 ,it is now going through the press and will soon be at the service of missionaries and native brethren who have eagerly awaited its appearance for many years4 ,his strength gradually failed and on ,august #ai1 #ahib1 in his seventy-third year1 he quietly breathed his last at ,bound ,brook1 ,new ,jersey4 ,the mortal tent loosened down and folded was laid away in the family plot near ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey4 ,most of his living1 working years he had spent far away from the ancestral home4 ,it was ,god's will that his dust should find a place next to the kindred dust of father and mother1 sister and brother1 in the peaceful ,god's acre but a few miles from the old homestead4 ,dr4 ,talmage left a wife1 two daughters and three sons1 and a goodly circle of relatives and friends to mourn his departure4 ,mrs4 ,talmage has since returned to the ,talmage ,manse at ,amoy and taken up afresh her chosen work in educating the ill-privileged and ignorant women of ,china4 ,the two daughters1 ,miss ,katharine and ,miss ,mary1 are rendering most faithful and efficient service1 too1 among ,china's mothers and daughters4 ,rev4 ,david ,m4 ,talmage fills a pastorate with the ,reformed ,church of ,westwood1 ,new ,jersey4 ,mr4 ,john ,talmage is a rice merchant at ,new ,orleans1 ,louisiana4 ,rev4 ,george ,e4 ,talmage ministers to the ,lord's people at ,mott ,haven1 ,new ,york4 ,when the sun of ,dr4 ,talmage's life set1 it was to the ,chinese brethren at ,amoy1 like the setting of a great hope4 ,the venerable teacher had left them two years before1 but he had not spoken a final farewell4 ,they and he looked for one more meeting on earth4 ,he was known to the whole ,chinese ,church in and about ,amoy for a circuit of a hundred miles4 ,he sat at its cradle4 ,he watched its growth until within two years of the day when it went forth two bands united in one ,synod with twenty organized1 self-supporting churches1 nineteen native pastors1 upwards of two thousand communicants and six thousand adherents4 ,in the many breaks that occur in the missionary constituency1 his life was the one chain of continuity4 ,the ,churches had come to feel that whoever failed them1 they had ,teacher ,talmage still4 ,his departure was like the falling down of a venerable cathedral1 leaving the broken and bleeding ivy among the dust and debris4 ,the ,chinese ,christians had leaned hard upon him4 ,they loved and revered him as a father4 ,since he passed away his name has seldom been mentioned in any public assembly of the ,church by any of the ,chinese brethren without the broken and trembling utterance that has called forth from a listening congregation the silent1 sympathetic tear4 ,great and good man1 fervent preacher1 inspiring teacher1 wise and sympathetic counselor1 generous friend1 affectionate father1--farewell1 till the morning breaks and we meet in the ,city of ,light4 ,and behold these shall come from far1 and lo1 these from the north1 and from the west1 and these from the land of ,sinim4 ,oh then what raptured greetings1 ,what knitting severed friendships up1 ,where partings are no more4 ,,xii4 ,,in ,,memoriam4 ,,dr4 ,,talmage-,,the ,,man4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,w4 ,s4 ,,swanson1 ,d4,d4 ,dr4 ,swanson was for twenty years a valued member of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission at ,amoy1 and subsequently ,secretary of the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of the ,presbyterian ,church of ,england until his death1 ,november #bd1 #ahic ,my first meeting with ,dr4 ,talmage took place in the early days of ,july1 #ahfj1 and from that day till the day of his death he was regarded as not only one of the best and most valued friends1 but ,i looked up to him as a father beloved and respected4 ,one cannot help recalling now the impressions of those early days4 ,there was a marked individuality about this man that made you regard him whether you would or not4 ,you felt that he was a man bound to lead and to take the foremost place amongst his brethren and all with whom he came in touch4 ,there was a firmness of tread1 and the brave courage of conviction1 united with a womanly tenderness1 that were unmistakable4 ,you saw he had made up his mind before he spoke1 and that when he did speak he spoke with a fullness of knowledge that few men possessed4 ,he was every inch of him a man4 ,and what touched us very much1 who were young men1 was the tender forbearance with which he always treated us4 ,we saw this more clearly as the years passed on1 and learned how much1 perhaps1 he had to bear from some of us whose assertiveness in some matters was in the inverse ratio of our knowledge4 ,the reference here is to matters and methods regarding our work as missionaries to the ,chinese4 ,he bore with us1 and knew well the day would come when1 with increasing knowledge1 there would come increasing hesitation in pronouncing too hastily on the problems we had to face2 and he knew well that day would come if there was anything in us at all4 ,in my own study of the ,chinese language he and another who also has gone to the better land--the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,douglas--assisted in every possible way2 and to both in this line am ,i indebted for what was the most important furnishing in the first instance for every missionary to ,china4 ,i can well remember the plane upon which ,dr4 ,talmage placed this study of the language4 ,it was our work for ,christ1 at this stage a far more important one than any other4 ,he encouraged us to use whatever vocables we had got1 no matter whether we were met with the wondering smile of the ,chinaman in his vain endeavor to understand us1 or to keep from misunderstanding us4 ,use whatever you have got1 be glad when you are corrected1 but use your words4 ,to some of us the advice was invaluable4 ,and in other ways the same spirit was manifest4 ,he did all he could to get us to attend every ,christian gathering1 to sit and listen to the business of the ,sessions1 and to show the ,chinese as soon as possible that we were one with them1 and he succeeded4 ,there was an enthusiasm and warmth distinguishing these early days of the ,amoy church that were formative in a very high degree1 and that are now a precious memory4 ,then ,dr4 ,talmage was a scholar1 with a very wide range of scholarship4 ,we looked up to him and we respected him1 with an esteem few men have ever won4 ,and in conjunction with his scholarly furnishing there was an absorbing1 consuming zeal for ,christ and ,his kingdom1 and an intense love for the ,chinese people4 ,if he had not this latter1 he could not have been the unmistakably influential and successful missionary he was4 ,these1 coupled with a ,christian walk and devotion1 formed the furnishing of this man of ,god4 ,he was also a true gentleman1 a ,christian gentleman in every sense of the word4 ,the best proof of this was that we loved him1 and if the foreign ladies in ,amoy who knew him were asked what they thought of him--many of them have gone to rest--they would hardly get words to tell out all their respect and love for him4 ,his visits in our houses were most welcome1 and when he spent an evening with us there was always sunshine where he was4 ,he was essentially a happy man1 and nothing pleased him more than to see all happy around him4 ,there is still one point to which reference must here be made4 ,missionaries were not the only foreign residents in ,amoy4 ,there was also a considerable number of ,american and ,european merchants4 ,unfortunately the missionaries and the merchants did not always see eye to eye4 ,dr4 ,talmage was a favorite with every one of them4 ,they esteemed him1 they would have done anything to serve him2 and at no cost of principle or testimony he won this place with them4 ,and to those who know the conditions of life in ,china1 it will be at once understood what a man he must have been to win such a position4 ,it may not be generally known that in ,amoy we have a ,union ,english ,church1 with regular ,sabbath services in ,english4 ,these services were conducted by the missionaries in turn4 ,and we fear it may also not be known what ,dr ,talmage's powers as a preacher were4 ,he was a very prince among ,english preachers2 and if he had remained in ,america this would very soon have been acknowledged4 ,there were no tricks or devices of manner or words employed by him for winning the popular ear4 ,he never seemed to forget the solemnity and responsibility of his position in the pulpit4 ,he hesitated not to declare the whole counsel of ,god4 ,he stands before me now as ,i listen with bated breath to the fire of his eloquence1 denouncing where denunciation was needed1 contending with a burning earnestness that never failed to carry us with him1 for the faith once delivered to the saints1 and then with exquisite tenderness seeking to draw his hearers to ,him who is ,saviour and ,brother4 ,he never failed to think and speak as much about temptation as about sin4 ,it was a real feast to attend the ,english service when it was conducted by him4 ,and during all my time in ,amoy1 there was always a large congregation when ,dr4 ,talmage was the preacher4 ,he was not all tenderness4 ,he would only have been a one-sided man if this were all4 ,he was as strong as he was tender2 a keen and powerful opponent in discussion4 ,and we often had very warm and keen discussions2 keener and warmer than ,i had ever seen before ,i went to ,amoy1 or have ever seen since4 ,we had to discuss principles and methods of translation1 hymnology1 ,church work1 ,church discipline1 and many other subjects4 ,and there was no mincing of matters at these discussions4 ,foremost amongst us was ,dr4 ,talmage1 tenaciously and persistently advocating the view he happened to have taken on any question4 ,there were men of very strong individuality among us1 and these gave as good as they got4 ,i can recall these scenes1 but ,i cannot recall a single word he said that involved a personal wound or left a barb4 ,when it was all over he was the same loving brother1 and not an atom of bitterness was left behind4 ,by us1 the brethren of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission1 he was looked up to as a revered father1 just as much as he was by the brethren of his own ,mission4 ,this will be seen more fully further on1 and a simple statement of the fact is all that is necessary here4 ,there is another and most sacred relation--his position as the head of a family1--the veil of which it seems almost sacrilege to uplift4 ,but it must be said1 and it is only a well-known fact1 that few happier homes exist than his home was4 ,he was there what he was elsewhere1 the man of ,god4 ,dr4 ,talmage was not perfect4 ,he was essentially a humble man1 and he would be the first to tell us that of every sinner saved by grace1 he was the most unworthy4 ,and when he said it1 he felt it4 ,and he had not the very most distant idea how great a man he was4 ,sometimes one fears that this very modesty pushed to an extreme prevented others who did not know his life and his work from accurately gauging his real work4 ,better perhaps1 he would say1 that it should be so2 better to think of the work than of the workers4 ,to hold up ,christ and to be hidden behind ,him is the highest privilege of those engaged in the service of this ,king4 ,and this1 his uniform bearing1 made him all the greater4 ,,dr4 ,,talmage-,,the ,,missionary4 ,it would be useless speculation to lay down here what should be the special qualifications of a missionary to the ,chinese4 ,the better way is to find them in the concrete1 so far as you can do so in an individual1 and set ,him forth as an example for others4 ,the friend of whom we write would deprecate this1 but it is the only way in which we can see him as he was and account for the singularly prominent place he occupied amongst us4 ,i do not need to say here that he was a man of faith and prayer1 earnest and zealous for the spread of ,christ's ,kingdom2 in the face of difficulties and dangers1 of disappointments and failures1 maintaining an unwavering faith that the ,kingdom must come and would yet rule over all4 ,he had both an intense love for his work and enthusiasm in carrying it on4 ,he came with a definite message to the people to whom the ,master had sent him4 ,there was no apologizing for it1 no watering it down1 no uncertain sound about it with him4 ,christ and ,christ alone can meet the wants and woes of humanity1--,chinese or ,american or ,british4 ,he had no doubt about it whatever2 and hereby some of us learned that if we had not this message it would have been far better for us to have stayed at home4 ,and this feature marked him all over his course4 ,you felt as you listened to his pleadings that sin and salvation were terms brimful of meaning to him4 ,he had traveled this road1 and all his pleadings seemed to be summed up in the one yearning cry1 ,come with us and we will do thee good4 ,this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners4 ,and he would have gone to the end1 of whom ,i am chief4 ,then he had a great love for the people4 ,he made himself acquainted with the family and social conditions of the people4 ,he had not come to ,americanize but to ,christianize the ,chinese4 ,and for this he equipped himself4 ,i never saw him so happy as when he was surrounded by them4 ,he was then in his real element1 answering their questions1 solving their difficulties1 opening up to them the ,scriptures1 and meeting them wherever he thought they needed to be met4 ,and go to his study when you liked1 you almost always found some ,chinese ,christians there4 ,he was the great referee1 to whom they carried home difficulties and family trials1 assured that his sympathy and advice would never be denied them4 ,this endeared him to them in an extraordinary manner4 ,we never on such occasions found a trace of impatience with him4 ,what would have annoyed others did not seem to annoy him1 and the consequence was that the whole church loved him4 ,there was an inexhaustible well of tenderness in the man's nature1 and it was sweetened by the grace of ,god in his heart4 ,we sometimes thought he erred by excess in this particular4 ,he was unwilling to think anything but good of them1 and was thus apt to be influenced too much by designing and astute ,chinamen4 ,often we have heard it said1 ,well1 if you won't listen to us1 ,dr4 ,talmage will4 ,but1 looking back to-day over it all1 if it was a fault1 it was one that leant to virtue's side4 ,he was wonderfully unsuspicious3 and so far as his fellow men were concerned1 ,chinese or ,westerns1 the mental process which he almost invariably employed was to try to find out what good there was in a man4 ,and now one loves him all the more for such a ,christlike spirit4 ,dr4 ,talmage was thoroughly acquainted with the spoken language of ,amoy4 ,few men1 if any1 had a more extensive knowledge of its vocables4 ,he spoke idiomatically and beautifully as the ,chinese themselves spoke1 and not as he thought they should speak4 ,there was no slipshod work with him in this particular4 ,here was the indispensable furnishing and he must get it4 ,and he did get it in no average measure4 ,this was the prime requisite1 and through no other avenue could he get really and honestly to work4 ,there is no royal road to the acquisition of the ,chinese language4 ,it is only by dint of hard1 plodding1 and persevering study one can acquire an adequate acquaintance with it4 ,and till the last he never gave up his study of it4 ,he was not satisfied1 and no true missionary ever will be satisfied with such a smattering of knowledge as may enable him to proclaim a few ,christian doctrines4 ,such superficiality was not his aim or end4 ,and when he first acquired ,chinese1 it was more difficult to do so4 ,there were no aids in the way of dictionaries or vocabularies4 ,it may be his knowledge of the language was all the more accurate on this account4 ,he got it from the fountain-head1 and not through foreign sources4 ,he was thus qualified to take a prominent place in all the varied work of a mission--in translation1 in revision1 and in hymnology--departments as important and as influential for attaining the end in view as any other possible department in the ,mission4 ,as a preacher to the ,chinese he was unrivaled4 ,the people hung on his lips and never seemed to lose a word4 ,he was in this respect a model to every one of us younger men4 ,the ideal of the church in ,china which he had set before him1 the goal he desired to reach1 was a native1 self-governing1 self-supporting1 and self-propagating church4 ,this is now axiomatic4 ,it was not so in those early days4 ,the men in ,amoy then were men for whom we have to thank ,god--men ahead of their time1 with generous and far-reaching ideas2 not working only for their own present1 but laying the foundation for a great future4 ,side by side with him were the brethren of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission1 with whom he had the fullest sympathy1 and they had the fullest sympathy with him4 ,it is difficult to say who were foremost in pressing the idea of an organized native church4 ,all were equally convinced and strove together for the one great end4 ,after many years of waiting the church grew4 ,congregations were formed and organized with their own elders and deacons1 and in this he took the first steps4 ,he was a born organizer4 ,and then came the next great step1 the creation of a ,presbytery and the ordination in an orderly manner of native pastors4 ,some congregations were ready to call and support such pastors1 and the men were there1 for the careful training of native agents had always been a marked feature of the ,amoy ,mission4 ,but how was it to be done8 ,common sense led to only one conclusion4 ,this church must not be an exotic2 it must be native1 independent of the home churches4 ,and there must be kept in view what was a fact already--the union between the ,missions of the ,reformed ,church and of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church4 ,it must be done1 and done in this way1 and so it was done4 ,the ,presbytery was created with no native pastor in the first instance1 but with native elders and the missionaries of both ,missions4 ,then came a struggle that would have tried the stoutest hearts4 ,the ,reformed ,church in ,america declined to recognize this newly-created ,presbytery4 ,dr4 ,talmage went home and fought the battle and won the day4 ,to its great honor be it said1 the ,general ,synod of the ,reformed ,church rescinded its resolution of the previous year1 and allowed their honored brethren1 the missionaries1 to take their own way4 ,so convinced were the missionaries of the wisdom1 yea1 the necessity1 of the course they had taken1 that they were prepared to resign rather than retrace their steps4 ,but that painful step was not necessary4 ,the ,synod of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church gave their missionaries a free hand4 ,there is this1 however1 to be said for the ,general ,synod of the ,reformed ,church4 ,it was only love for their agents and deep interest in this ,mission that prompted their original action4 ,they feared that by the creation of this native and independent church court1 the tie that bound them to the men and the work might be loosened2 and when they saw there was no risk of that1 they at once acquiesced4 ,but it was ,dr4 ,talmage's irresistible pleadings that won their hearts4 ,the native church has grown4 ,about twenty native pastors have been ordained1 settled1 and entirely supported by their own congregations4 ,the ,presbytery has grown so large that it has to be divided into two presbyteries2 and these1 with the ,presbytery of ,swatow1 where brethren of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church are working1 will form the ,synod of the native ,presbyterian ,church in those regions of ,china4 ,in connection with all this we must mention another name--the name of one very dear to ,dr4 ,talmage1 and of one to whom he was very dear4 ,they were one in heart and soul about this4 ,we refer to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,douglas1 of the ,english ,presbyterian ,mission4 ,they stood side by side during all their work in ,amoy4 ,dr4 ,talmage was by a good many years the predecessor in the field4 ,they were both great men1 men of very different temperament1 and yet united4 ,not on this point1 but on many another1 they failed to see eye to eye1 but they were always united in heart and aim4 ,true and lasting union can only exist where free play is given to distinct individualities4 ,and so it has always been with this union1 the first1 ,i believe1 between ,presbyterian ,churches in any mission field4 ,and when the history of the ,amoy ,mission comes to be written1 these two men will have a leading place in it2 for to them more than to any others do we owe almost all that is distinctive there in union and in methods of work4 ,and when our beloved father ,talmage passed from earth to heaven1 what thankfulness must have filled his heart4 ,in the night of his first years in ,china there were labor and toil1 but there was no fruit for him4 ,the dawn came and the first converts of his own ,mission were gathered in4 ,when he went to rest1 there was a native church2 there were native pastors2 orderly church courts2 a well equipped theological college1 the common property of the two ,missions2 successful medical missionary work1 woman's work in all its branches1 and a native church covering a more extensive region than he had in the early days dreamt of4 ,and there was another honored ,mission in ,amoy--that of the ,london ,missionary ,society1 whose operations have been followed by abundant and singular success4 ,to this ,mission he was warmly attached2 and he never1 so far as we can remember1 ceased to show the deepest interest in its work1 and the heartiest rejoicing at its success4 ,and now he has gone1 the last1 we may say1 of the men who began the work of the ,presbyterian ,mission of ,christ in ,china2 but ere he passed away1 he knew that men of ,god were still there with the old enthusiasm and the old appetite for solid and substantial work4 ,we cannot part with him now without one fond and lingering look behind4 ,burns1 ,sandeman1 ,doty1 ,douglas1 and ,talmage2 what a galaxy these early pioneers in ,amoy were4 ,few churches have had such gifts from ,god1 few fields more devoted1 whole-hearted missionaries4 ,it was a privilege to know them1 to work with them1 to learn at their feet1 unworthy though some of us may be as their successors4 ,may the ,lord of the ,harvest rouse ,his own ,church by their memories to greater energy and self denial in the spread of ,his ,kingdom4 ,their memories will never die in ,china4 ,those who have lately visited ,amoy tell us that they who knew them among the ,chinese ,christians speak lovingly and fondly of those early heroes4 ,and they will tell their children what they were and what they did1 and so generation after generation will hear the story1 and find how true it is that workers die1 but their work never dies4 ,their works do follow them4 ,,venerable ,,teacher ,,talmage4 ,,tribute ,,of ,,pastor ,,iap ,,han ,,chiong4 ,pastor ,iap was the first pastor of the ,chinese ,church ,teacher ,talmage was very gentle4 ,he wished ever to be at peace with men4 ,if he saw a man in error he used words of meekness in convincing and converting the man from his error4 ,whether he exhorted1 encouraged or instructed1 his words were words of prudence1 seasoned with salt1 so that men were glad to receive and obey4 ,teacher ,talmage was a lover of men4 ,when he saw a man in distress and it was right for him to help1 he helped4 ,in peril1 he exerted himself to deliver the man2 in weakness1 in danger of falling1 he tried to uphold2 suffering oppression1 he arose to the defense1 fearing no power1 but contending earnestly for the right4 ,teacher ,talmage was very gracious in receiving men1 whether men of position or the common people4 ,he treated all alike4 ,if they wished to discuss any matter with him and get his advice1 he would patiently listen to their tale4 ,if he had any counsel to give1 he gave it4 ,if he felt he could not conscientiously have anything to do with the affair1 he told the men forthwith4 ,he could pierce through words1 and see through men's countenances and judge what the man was1 who was addressing him4 ,teacher ,talmage had great eloquence and possessed great intelligence4 ,his utterance was clear1 his voice powerful1 his exposition of doctrine very thorough4 ,men listened and the truth entered their ears and their hearts understood4 ,teacher ,talmage was grave in manner4 ,he commanded the respect and praise of men4 ,his was a truly ministerial bearing4 ,men within and without the ,church venerated him4 ,sometimes differences between brethren arose4 ,teacher ,talmage earnestly exhorted to harmony4 ,even serious differences1 which looked beyond healing1 were removed1 because men felt constrained to listen to his counsel4 ,teacher ,talmage was exceedingly diligent4 ,when not otherwise engaged1 morning and afternoon found him in his study reading1 writing1 preparing sermons1 translating books4 ,he preached every ,sabbath4 ,he conducted classes of catechumens4 ,he founded the ,girls' ,school at the ,church ,under the ,bamboos4 ,he founded the ,theological ,seminary4 ,others taught with him1 but he was the master spirit4 ,he was ten points careful that everything relating to the organization and administration of the ,church should be in accordance with the ,holy ,book4 ,only at the urgent request of two physicians did he finally leave ,china4 ,he was prepared to die and to be buried at ,amoy4 ,and this was not because he was not honored in his ancestral country1 or could find no home4 ,no1 he had sons1 he had a brother1 he had nephews and nieces1 he had many relatives and friends who greatly reverenced and loved him4 ,but ,teacher ,talmage could not bear to be separated from the ,church in ,china4 ,surely this was imitating the heart of ,christ4 ,surely this was loving the people of ,china to the utmost4 ,,rev4 ,,john ,,van ,,nest ,,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,baldwin1 ,d4,d41 ,recording ,secretary of the ,missionary ,society of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,my memory of ,dr4 ,talmage dates back to the year #ahdf4 ,i was then but eleven years old1 but ,i remember distinctly the earnestness of his manner1 as he preached early in that year in the ,second ,reformed ,church of ,somerville1 ,new ,jersey4 ,his missionary zeal was of the most intense character4 ,i was present at the ,missionary ,convention1 at ,millstone1 ,new ,jersey1 ,august #bf1 #ahdf1 and saw him ordained4 ,the ,rev4 ,gabriel ,ludlow preached from #b ,timothy ii4 ,i1 and the charge to the candidate was given by the ,rev4 ,elihu ,doty1 of ,amoy4 ,mr4 ,doty1 at a children's meeting in the afternoon1 asked us whether we would come to help in the missionary work1 and asked us to write down the question and think and pray about it1 and when we had made up our minds to write an answer underneath the question4 ,i did think and pray about it1 and some weeks afterward1 under a sense of duty1 wrote ,yes under it4 ,from that time on1 it was not a strange thought to me1 to go to ,china as a missionary2 and when the call came in #aheh1 ,i was ready4 ,in #ahfj1 on my first visit to ,amoy1 ,i renewed old acquaintanceship1 and during my twenty-two years in ,china was several times a guest in ,dr4 ,talmage's family4 ,he was in the very front rank of missionaries4 ,for ability1 for fidelity1 for usefulness1 he had few equals4 ,as a preacher1 he was clear1 forceful1 fearless4 ,as a translator1 his work was marked by carefulness and accuracy4 ,in social life1 old-fashioned hospitality made every one feel at home1 and one would have to travel far to find a more animated and interesting conversationalist4 ,he held his convictions with great tenacity1 and was a powerful debater1 but always courteous to his opponents4 ,many missionaries fell by his side1 or were obliged to leave the field2 and in the providence of ,god he remained until he was the oldest of all the ,american missionaries in ,china4 ,his was a most pure and honorable record1 and his death was universally lamented4 ,from little beginnings1 he was privileged to see one of the most flourishing of the native communions of ,china arise and attain large numbers and great influence among the ,christian churches of the empire4 ,such a history and such a record are to be coveted4 ,may the ,head of the ,church raise up many worthy successors to this true and noble man6 ,,the ,,rev4 ,j4 ,v4 ,n4 ,,talmage1 ,d4,d44 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,talbot ,w4 ,,chambers1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,pastor of the ,collegiate ,reformed ,church1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,my acquaintance with ,dr4 ,talmage began at a very early period4 ,during the years #ahdb-e his father was ,sheriff of ,somerset ,co41 ,n4 ,j41 and resided at ,somerville4 ,while there he and his wife were members in communion of the ,second ,reformed ,dutch ,church1 of which ,i was pastor2 and from them ,i heard frequently of their son ,john1 who was then a student in ,new ,brunswick4 ,he prosecuted his studies in the ,college and ,theological ,seminary with zeal and success1 and was duly licensed1 and then1 while awaiting the arrival of the period when he would be sent to join the mission in ,china1 he accepted the position of assistant to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,brodhead1 who at that time was minister of the ,central ,church of ,brooklyn4 ,here his services were very acceptable1 and the training under such an experienced man of ,god was of great value to him4 ,his course was what might have been expected of one reared in a peculiarly pious household4 ,his father was a cheerful and exemplary ,christian1 and his mother was the godliest woman ,i ever knew4 ,her religion pervaded her whole being1 and seemed to govern every thought1 word1 and deed1 yet never was morbid or overstrained4 ,the robust common sense which characterized her and her husband descended in full measure upon their son ,john4 ,his consecration to the mission work was complete1 and his interest in the cause was very deep1 but it never manifested itself in unseemly or extravagant ways4 ,so far as ,i can recall1 there was nothing particularly brilliant or original in the early sermons or addresses of the young missionary--nothing of those wondrous displays of word-painting1 imagination1 and dramatic power which have made his brother1 ,dr4 ,t4 ,de ,witt ,talmage1 famous4 ,but there was a mental grasp1 a force and a fire which often induced the remark that he was too good to be sent to the heathen1 there being many at that time who labored under the mistake that a missionary did not require to be a man of unusual ability1 that gifts and acquirements were thrown away on a life spent among idolaters4 ,still1 while this was the case1 none of his friends expected that he would develop such marked and varied power as was seen in his entire course at ,amoy4 ,i remember the surprise with which ,i heard the late ,dr4 ,swanson1 of ,london1 say from his own observation during ten years of the closest intercourse at ,amoy1 that ,dr4 ,talmage was equally distinguished and efficient in every part of the missionary's work1 whether in preaching the ,word1 or translating the ,scriptures1 or creating a ,christian literature1 or training native workers4 ,nothing seemed to come amiss to him2 everywhere he was facile princeps4 ,i suppose that the explanation is found in his thorough and unreserved consecration4 ,he was given heart and soul to the work4 ,whatever he did was done with his whole mind4 ,there was no vacillation or indecision1 but a deliberate concentration of all his faculties upon the task set before him4 ,nor did he work by spurts or through temporary enthusiasm1 but with a steady1 unyielding determination4 ,so he went on through life without haste and without rest1 doing his best at all times and in every species of service1 and thus earning the brilliant reputation he acquired4 ,the same qualities rendered him as wise in counsel as he was efficient in working4 ,he was able to look on both sides of a given problem1 was not inclined to snap judgments1 but preferred to discriminate1 to weigh1 and1 if need be1 to wait4 ,yet1 when the time came1 the decision was ready4 ,he perceived earlier than his brethren at home the true policy as to churches in heathen lands1 that is1 that they should not be mere continuations of the denomination whose missionaries had been the means of founding them1 but should have an independent existence and grow upon the soil where they were planted1 taking such form and order as ,providence might suggest4 ,when the proposal was made in accordance with these views to build up a native ,chinese ,church strictly autonomous1 there was an immediate revulsion4 ,the ,general ,synod in #ahfc emphatically declined to consent1 not1 however1 from denominational bigotry1 but on the ground that the new converts must have some standards of faith and order1 and1 if so1 why not ours1 which had been tested by centuries8 ,and1 moreover1 if they were to be regarded as an integral part of the ,church at home1 that fact would prove to be a powerful incitement to prayer and liberality on the part of our people4 ,but the rebuff did not dishearten ,dr4 ,talmage4 ,he renewed the appeal the next year1 and had the satisfaction of seeing it succeed4 ,full consent was given to the aim to build up a strong1 self-governing1 and1 as soon as might be1 self-supporting body of native churches in ,china1 who should leave behind the prejudices of the past1 and form themselves under the teaching of ,god's ,spirit and ,providence in such way as would best meet the demands of the time and be most efficient in advancing the ,kingdom of ,god upon the earth4 ,the consequences have been most happy4 ,the missionaries of the ,presbyterian ,church have cordially co-operated in renouncing all denominational interests and giving all diligence to the forming of what might be called a ,chinese ,christian ,church1 freed from any external bond and at liberty to shape its own character and course under the guidance of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,the experiment has been entirely successful1 and stands conspicuous as a testimony to the true policy of carrying on missionary work in countries where there is already an antique civilization and certain social habits which need to be taken account of4 ,dr4 ,talmage always kept himself in touch with the ,church at home by correspondence or by personal intercourse4 ,his visits to ,america were in every case utilized to the fullest extent1 save when hindered by impaired health4 ,it is matter of joyful congratulation that he was permitted to finish the usual term of man's years in the missionary field4 ,others of our eminent men1 such as ,abeel1 ,thompson1 ,doty1 and ,pohlman1 were cut off in the midst of their days4 ,but he spent a full lifetime1 dying not by violence or accident1 but only when the bodily frame had been worn out in the natural course of events4 ,our ,church has been signally favored of ,god in the gifts and character and work of the men she has sent into the foreign field--and this not merely in the partial judgment of their denominational brethren1 but in the deliberate opinion of such competent and experienced observers as the late ,dr4 ,anderson1 of the ,american ,board1 and the late ,s4 ,wells ,williams1 the famous ,chinese scholar2 ,one remark of ,dr4 ,s4 ,wells ,williams is worth reproducing3 ,i think1 myself1 after more than forty years' personal acquaintance with hundreds of missionaries in ,china1 that ,david ,abeel was facile princeps among them all4--,presb4 ,review1 ,,ii4 #di4 but ,i think that none of them1 neither ,abeel nor ,thompson1 surpassed ,dr4 ,talmage in any of the qualities1 natural or acquired1 which go to make an accomplished missionary of the cross4 ,i enjoyed the personal acquaintance of them all1 having been familiar with the progress of the work from the time when 7,october1 #ahcb7 our ,board of ,foreign ,missions was established1 and therefore am able to form an intelligent opinion4 ,our departed brother can no more raise his voice1 either at home or abroad1 but his work remains1 and his memory will never die4 ,for long years to come his name will be fragrant in the hearts of our people2 and his lifelong consecration to the enterprise of the world's conversion will prove an example and a stimulus to this and the coming generation4 ,the equipoise of his mind1 the solidity of his character1 the strength of his faith1 the brightness of his hope1 the simple1 steadfast fidelity of his devotion to the ,master1 will speak trumpet-tongued to multitudes who never saw his face in the flesh4 ,the unadorned story of his life1 what he was and what he did by the grace of ,god1 will cheer the hearts of all the friends of foreign missions1 and win others to a just esteem of the cause which could attract such a man to its service and animate him to such a conspicuous and blessed career4 ,,rev4 ,,john ,,van ,,nest ,,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,m4 ,,ferris1 ,d4,d41 ,editor of the ,christian ,intelligencer and ex-,secretary of the ,board of ,foreign ,missions of the ,american ,reformed ,church4 ,circumstances which tested character1 ability1 and attainments brought me into intimate relations with ,rev4 ,dr4 ,john ,v4 ,n4 ,talmage4 ,the impressions ,i received are these3 ,he was eminently of a sunny disposition4 ,a smile was on his face and laughter in his eyes almost all day long4 ,he was conspicuously cheerful and hopeful4 ,the strength of his character was unusual and would bear victoriously very severe tests4 ,mental and moral ability of a very high order marked his participation in public exercises and his demeanor in social life4 ,it seemed to me that in mind and heart there were in him the elements of greatness4 ,greatness he never sought1 but avoided4 ,still1 from the time succeeding the opening years of his ministry1 he was a leader among men until seized with the long illness which terminated his useful life4 ,those who knew him appointed him one of their chief counselors and guides1 and in any assembly where he was comparatively unknown he was accepted as a leading mind as soon as he had taken part in its discussions4 ,a wide range of knowledge was his4 ,it was surprising how he had maintained an acquaintance with the research and discovery of his day while secluded in ,china from the life of the ,western nations4 ,with all this his intercourse with men was marked by modesty and the absence of ostentatious display4 ,the deference with which he treated the opinions of others and of his manner in presenting his knowledge and convictions to an audience was extraordinary4 ,he was courteously inquisitive1 seeking from others what they knew and thought1 and this oftentimes1 perhaps habitually1 with men much his inferiors4 ,such a man would be expected to be tolerant of the opinions of others1 and this he was eminently1 although his own convictions were clear1 strongly held1 earnestly presented and advocated4 ,how often we heard him say1 ,so ,i think1 or ,so it seems to me1 but ,i may be wrong4 ,accuracy in statement was sought for by him constantly1 sometimes to the detriment of his public addresses4 ,when we who were familiar with him were humorous at his expense1 it was almost invariably in relation to this constant endeavor to be accurate1 which led now and then to qualifications of his words that were decidedly amusing4 ,he was animated1 earnest1 and strong in public addresses4 ,his mind was active2 apt to take an independent1 original view1 and vigorous4 ,his sermons were often very impressive and powerful4 ,few who heard in whole or in part his discourse on the words1 ,the world by wisdom knew not ,god--an extemporaneous sermon--will forget the terse1 vigorous sentences which came from his lips4 ,it was1 ,i believe1 the last sermon he prepared in outline to be delivered to our churches in this country4 ,it was full of power and life4 ,dr4 ,talmage was a ,christian and a ,christian gentleman everywhere and always4 ,it seemed as natural to him to be a ,christian as to breathe4 ,conscientious piety marked his daily life4 ,he was a delightful companion through his gentleness1 sympathy1 wide range of knowledge1 cheerfulness1 animated and earnest speech1 vigor of thought and expression1 deference for the opinions and rights of others1 and unselfishness4 ,he asked nothing1 demanded nothing for himself1 but was alert to contribute to the enjoyment of those around him4 ,the work of his life was of inestimable value4 ,he was abundant in labors4 ,only the life to come will reveal how much he accomplished which in the highest sense was worthy of accomplishment4 ,those who knew him best1 esteemed1 loved1 and trusted him the most4 ,,appendix4 ,ecclesiastical ,relations of ,presbyterian ,missionaries1 especially of the ,presbyterian ,missionaries at ,amoy1 ,china4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,j4 ,v4 ,n4 ,,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,we have recently received letters making inquiries concerning the ,relations of the ,missionaries of the ,english ,presbyterian ,church1 and of the ,american ,reformed ,church to the ,tai-hoey ,presbytery1 or ,classis1 of ,amoy2 stating views on certain points connected with the general subject of the organization of ecclesiastical ,judicatories on ,mission ground2 and asking our views on the same4 ,we have thought it best to state our answer so as to cover the whole subject of these several suggestions and inquiries1 as 7though they are from different sources7 they form but one subject4 ,our views are not hasty4 ,they are the result of much thought1 experience and observation4 ,but we are now compelled to throw them together in much more haste than we could wish1 for which1 we trust1 allowance will be made4 ,as preliminary we remark that we have actual and practical relations both to the home churches1 and to the churches gathered here1 and our ,ecclesiastical relations should correspond thereto4 #a4 ,our ,relation to the ,home ,churches4 ,we are their agents1 sent by them to do a certain work1 and supported by them in the doing of that work4 ,therefore so long as this relation continues1 in all matters affecting our qualifications for that work1--of course including matters affecting ministerial character1--we should remain subject to their jurisdiction4 ,in accordance with this we retain our connection with our respective home ,presbyteries or ,classes4 #b4 ,our ,relation to the ,church here4 ,we are the actual pastors of the churches growing up under our care1 until they are far enough advanced to have native pastors set over them4 ,the first native pastors here were ordained by the missionaries to the office of ,minister of the ,word1 the same office that we ourselves hold4 ,in all subsequent ordinations1 and other ecclesiastical matters1 the native pastors have been associated with the missionaries4 ,the ,tai-hoey at ,amoy1 in this manner1 gradually grew up with perfect parity between the native and foreign members4 ,with these preliminary statements we proceed to notice the suggestions made and questions propounded4 ,to extend to the native churches on mission ground the lines of separation which exist among ,presbyterian bodies in home lands is acknowledged to be a great evil4 ,to avoid this evil and to bring all the native ,presbyterians1 in the same locality1 into one organization1 two plans are suggested to us4 ,the first plan suggested 7perhaps we should say mentioned for it is not advocated71 we take to be that the missionaries become not only members of the ecclesiastical judicatories formed on mission ground1 but also amenable to those judicatories in the same way1 and in every respect1 as their native members1 their ecclesiastical relation to their home churches being entirely severed4 ,this plan ignores the actual relation of missionaries to their home churches1 as spoken of above4 ,surely the home churches cannot afford this4 ,perhaps we should notice another plan sometimes acted on1 but not mentioned in the letters we have now received4 ,it is that the missionaries become members of the ,mission ,church ,judicatories as above2 but that these ,judicatories be organized as parts of the home churches1 so that the missionaries will still be under the jurisdiction of the home churches through the subjection of the ,mission ,judicatories to the higher at home4 ,this plan can only work during the infancy of the mission churches1 while the ,mission ,church ,judicatories are still essentially foreign in their constituents4 ,soon the jurisdiction will be very imperfect4 ,this imperfection will increase as fast as the mission churches increase4 ,moreover this plan will extend to the native churches the evil deprecated above4 ,the second plan suggested we take to be that the missionaries1 while they remain the agents of the home churches1 should retain their relation respectively to their home churches1 and have only an advisory relation to the ,presbytery on mission ground4 ,this is greatly to be preferred to the first plan suggested4 ,it corresponds to the relation of missionaries to their respective home churches4 ,it takes into consideration also1 but does not fully correspond to the relation of the missionaries to the churches on mission ground1 at least does not fully correspond to the relation of the missionaries to the native churches at ,amoy4 ,our actual relation to these churches seems to us to demand that as yet we take part with the native pastors in their government4 ,the peculiar relationship of the missionaries to ,tai-hoey1 viz41 having full membership1 without being subject to discipline by that body1--is temporary1 arising from the circumstances of this infant church1 and rests on the will of ,tai-hoey4 ,this relationship has never been discussed1 or even suggested for discussion in that body1 so that our view of what is1 or would be1 the opinion of ,tai-hoey on the subject we gather from the whole character of the working of that body from its first formation1 and from the whole spirit manifested by the native members4 ,never till last year has there been a case of discipline even of a native member of ,tai-hoey4 ,we do not know that the thought that occasion may also arise for the discipline of missionaries1 has ever suggested itself to any of the native members4 ,if it has1 we have no doubt they have taken for granted that the discipline of missionaries belongs to the churches which have sent them here4 ,but we also have no doubt that ,tai-hoey would exercise the right of refusing membership to any missionary if necessary4 ,it is suggested as an objection to the plan that has been adopted by the missionaries at ,amoy1 that where two ,presbyteries have jurisdiction over one man1 it may not be always easy to define the line where the jurisdiction of the one ends and the other begins2 and for the foreign ,presbyter to have a control over the native ,presbyter which the native cannot reciprocate1 would be anomalous1 and contrary to that view of the parity of ,presbyters which the ,scriptures present4 ,from our last paragraph above it will be seen that the line of demarcation alluded to in the first half of the above objection has certainly never yet been defined by ,tai-hoey1 but it will be seen likewise that we have no apprehension of any practical difficulty in the matter4 ,the last half of the objection looks more serious1 for if our plan really involves a violation of the doctrine of the parity of the ministry1 this is a very serious objection--fatal1 indeed1 unless perhaps the temporary character of the arrangement might give some sufferance to it in a developing church4 ,it does not1 however in our opinion1 involve any such doctrine4 ,it does not touch that doctrine at all4 ,the reason why ,tai-hoey does not claim the right of discipline over the missionaries is not because these are of a higher order than the other members1 but because the missionaries have a most important relation to the home churches which the other members have not4 ,the ,tai-hoey respects the rights of those churches which have sent and are still sending the ,gospel here1 and has fullest confidence that they will exercise proper discipline over their missionaries4 ,whether they do this or not1 the power of the ,tai-hoey to cut off from its membership1 or refuse to admit thereto1 any missionary who might prove himself unworthy1 gives ample security to that body and secures likewise the benefits of discipline4 ,if time allowed us to give a full description of our ,church work here it would be seen that the doctrine of the parity of all who hold the ministerial office so thoroughly permeates the whole1 that it would seem impossible for mistake to arise on that point4 ,in connection with this subject it is also remarked that where two races are combined in a ,presbytery1 there is a tendency to divide on questions according to the line of race4 ,with gratitude to ,god we are able to bear testimony that at ,amoy we have not as yet seen the first sign of such tendency4 ,we have heard of such tendency in some other mission fields4 ,possibly it may yet be manifested here4 ,this1 however1 does not now seem probable4 ,the native members of ,tai-hoey1 almost from the first1 have outnumbered the foreign4 ,the disproportion now is as three or four to one1 and must continue to increase4 ,it would seem1 therefore1 that there will now be no occasion for jealousy of the missionaries' influence to grow up on the part of the native members4 ,but1 it may be asked1 if the native members so far outnumber the foreign1 of what avail is it that missionaries be more than advisory members8 ,we answer3 ,if we are in ,tai-hoey as a foreign party1 in opposition to the native members1 even advisory membership will be of no avail4 ,but if we are there in our true character1 as we always have been1 viz41 as ,presbyters and acting pastors of churches1 part and parcel of the church ,judicatories1 on perfect equality and in full sympathy with the native ,presbyters1 our membership may be of much benefit to ,tai-hoey4 ,it must be of benefit if our theory of ,church ,government be correct4 ,of the benefit of such membership we give one illustration1 equally applicable also to other forms of government4 ,it will be remembered that assemblies conducted on parliamentary principles were unknown in ,china4 ,by our full and equal membership of ,tai-hoey1 being associated with the native members in the various offices1 and in all kinds of committees1 the native members have been more efficiently instructed in the manner of conducting business in such assemblies1 than they could have been if we had only given them advice4 ,at the first1 almost the whole business was necessarily managed by the missionaries4 ,not so now4 ,the missionaries still take an active part even in the routine of business1 not so much to guard against error or mistake1 as for the purpose of saving time and inculcating the importance of regularity and promptitude4 ,even the earnestness with which the missionaries differ from each other1 so contrary to the duplicity supposed necessary by the rules of ,chinese politeness1 has not been without great benefit to the native members4 ,instead of there being any jealousy of the position occupied by the missionaries on the part of the native members1 the missionaries withdraw themselves from prominent positions1 and throw the responsibility on the native members1 as fast as duty to ,tai-hoey seems to allow1 faster than the native members wish4 ,we now proceed to give answers to the definite questions propounded to us1 though answers to some of them have been implied in the preceding remarks4 ,we combine the questions from different sources1 and slightly change the wording of them to suit the form of this paper1 and for convenience we number them4 #a4 ,are the missionaries members of ,tai-hoey in full and on a perfect equality with the native members8 ,answer4 ,yes2 with the exception 7if it be an exception7 implied in the answer to the next question4 #b4 ,are missionaries subject to discipline by the ,tai-hoey8 ,answer4 ,no2 except that their relation to ,tai-hoey may be severed by that body4 #c4 ,is it not likely that the sooner the native churches become self-governing1 the sooner they will be self-supporting and self-propagating8 ,answer4 ,yes4 ,it would be a great misfortune for the native churches to be governed by the missionaries1 or by the home churches4 ,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 instruction1 administration of the ordinances1 and pastoral oversight4 ,self-support1 self-government1 and self-propagation are intimately related1 acting and reacting on each other1 and the native ,church should be framed in them from the beginning of its existence4 #d4 ,is it the opinion of missionaries at ,amoy that the native ,presbyters are competent to manage the affairs of ,presbytery1 and could they safely be left to do so8 ,answer4 ,yes2 the native ,presbyters seem to us to be fully competent to manage the affairs of ,presbytery1 and we suppose it would be safe to leave them to do this entirely by themselves1 if the providence of ,god should so direct4 ,we think it much better1 however1 unless the providence of ,god direct otherwise1 that the missionaries continue their present relation to the ,tai-hoey until the native ,church is farther developed4 #e4 ,is it likely that there can be but one ,presbyterian ,church in ,china8 or are differences of dialect1 etc41 such as to make different organizations necessary and inevitable8 ,answer4 ,all ,presbyterians in ,china1 as far as circumstances will allow1 should unite in one ,church organization4 ,by all means avoid a plurality of ,presbyterian denominations in the same locality4 ,but differences of dialect and distance of separation seem at present to forbid the formation of one ,presbyterian organization for the whole of ,china4 ,even though in process of time these difficulties be greatly overcome1 ,it would seem that the vast number of the people will continue to render such formation impracticable1 except on some such principle as that on which is formed the ,pan-,presbyterian ,council4 ,one ,presbyterian ,church for ,china would be very