Christians, too little sympathy between the Missionaries and the "Ministers of English Congregations. The fact that they have all a "common Diocesan is or ought to be the chief outward bond of union "between them. If two different episcopates were introduced side by side the two races would begin to think that they belonged "to different churches, almost to different religions. We should for- "get that in the Kingdom of God there is neither Jew nor Greek, "circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free, "but Christ is all and in all" (Col. iii. 11). Read "Chinese" for "Indian" in the above passage and we might almost suppose Bishop Cotton writing upon the Ningpo Missionary Bishopric.
2. The scheme is at variance with all ecclesiastical rule and practice. "One God, One Christ, One Bishop" is the voice of the Church. (See Bingham's Antiq., Vol. I, p. 153). It had been thought that in a city where there were both Jewish and Gentile converts there might be a Jewish and a Gentile Bishop to govern each respectively but such a practice was regarded as contrary to the very spirit of the gospel of Christ, in whom "both" are "one;" and it was never sanctioned. No more in Ningpo may there be one Bishop for the Chinese pastors and their flocks, and another for European Missionaries and foreign residents.
3. The state of the Ningpo Mission presents no special claim to be governed by its own Bishop. Last spring the total number of Communicants was 139. The Mission had not a native Deacon or Priest. Two only of the 13 Catechists were in the judgment of the Missionaries qualified, and these required special preparation for Holy Orders. The European Missionaries in the field were only three, two of whom I then admitted to the Priesthood. It is a promising healthy Mission, greatly needing support.
It is passing through no crisis whatever; it has no peculiar difficulties nor prominent features—except its very inadequate support, amounting almost to apparent neglect. Foochow has equal claim to the presence of a resident Bishop, and in some respects superior claims to Ningpo, supposing any such claims at all to exist. Is the Church Missionary Society prepared to advocate the consecration of a Missionary Bishop for every Mission? To make each Mission a Diocese! If so, the views of the Society have greatly changed on the subject of Episcopacy! China needs not more Bishops, but more Missionaries. In her 4 Missions, she has at this moment but 8 European Missionaries and 2 native Deacons in the field, however many names appear upon the list. When we can number 25 or 50 instead of 10 working Missionaries in China, it may be time to think of dividing the Diocese and multiplying Bishops. Then perhaps, but hardly yet I think, it might be time for the Committee to inform me, as the letter of the Hon. Clerical Secretary instructed me February 5, 1868, in reply to my proposal and that of the Missionaries for the ordination of Native Catechists at Ningpo and Foochow: "The Committee reserve "for the present their sanction to the ordination of native teachers in all
(5)
All this is to assume at least that the missions in China occupy a far higher stage of progress than really is the case. We want work, not theory. We are, after all, but laying the foundation; there is very little yet to be seen above ground, even at Ningpo; though more at Foochow. But the building cannot rise without builders; and it is workmen China wants, not "many masters."
4. The consecration of a Missionary Bishop for Ningpo is not desired, even by the Missionaries of the Society. Their unbiased testimony was decisive of their feelings upon the subject. The Rev. James Vaughan, one of the most experienced of your Calcutta Missionaries who accompanied me as my Chaplain on my visitation, thus wrote from Ningpo to the Hon. Clerical Secretary: "I feel very decidedly there is nothing as yet in the circumstances of the Mission "here which makes the appointment of a Bishop necessary or even "desirable. And it is a singular fact that of all the persons I have spoken to in China, Clergy and Laity, I have not met one in favor "of the scheme proposed."
5. Such an appointment is by no means requisite for the administration of the ordinances of the Church. With the ready help of the Missionaries I found no difficulty in addressing the Chinese congregations, and ministering either Holy Orders or the rite of confirmation. Nor have I found difficulty in examining the Catechists. And I believe that the occasional visit of the Bishop, rather than his continued residence, or even too frequent presence, will conduce to the healthier state, greater activity, freedom, and elasticity of the Mission. Here, let me observe, in correction of a prevalent mistake at home, a Ningpo-speaking Bishop would occupy in the other Missions the same position as that of a Bishop altogether unacquainted with the vernacular. At Shanghai, he could not officiate in the vernacular; if even at Hangchow, at present a branch of the Ningpo Mission. The idea of a Ningpo-speaking Bishop to officiate as a Chinese-speaking Bishop for China is an absurd fallacy. It would be as reasonable to speak of a Maltese-speaking Bishop to officiate for Europe or Africa!
Lastly, I believe that the consecration of the Senior Missionary of C.M.S. as Missionary Bishop at Ningpo would in fact deprive the native Church of an Episcopal superintendence worthy of the name. There is no endowment of the proposed See: the Bishop receives his annual salary as a Missionary of C.M.S., and as Missionary, he makes his annual report to the Committee and receives his instructions from them, to whom he is amenable. His allegiance must be a divided one, in part to the Archbishop and in part to a Committee! and if such divided allegiance, from the necessity of the case, is allowed on the part of Missionaries in reference to the Bishop of the Diocese in which they are licensed, it remains to be shown that such an ecclesiastical anomaly should be extended, at least without clear necessity,
798
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"Christians, too little sympathy between the Missionaries and the "Ministers of English Congregations. The fact that they have all a "common Diocesan is or ought to be the chief outward bond of union "between them. If two different episcopates were introduced * side by side the two races would begin to think that they belonged "to different churches, almost to different religions. We should for- "get that in the Kingdom of God there is neither Jew nor Greck, "circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free, "but Christ is all and in all" (Col. t. 11.) Read "Chinese" for "Indian" in the above passage and we might almost suppose Bishop Cotton writing upon the Ningpo Missionary Bishopric.
2. The scheme is at variance with all ecclesiastical rule and practice. "One God, One Christ, One Bishop" is the voice of the Church. (See Bingham's Antiq., Vol. I, p. 153). It had been thought that in a city where there were both Jewish and Gentile converts there might be a Jewish and a Gentile Bishop to govern each respectively but such a practice was regarded as contrary to the very spirit of the gospel of Christ, in whom "both" are "one;" and it was never sanctioned. No more in Ningpo nay there be one Bishop for the Chinese pastors and their flocks, and another for European Missionaries and foreign residents.
3. The state of the Ningpo Mission presents no special claim to be governed by its own Bishop. Last spring the total number of Communicauts was 139. The Mission had not a native Deacon or Priest. Two only of the 13 Catechists were in the judgment of the Missionaries qualified, and these required special preparation for Holy Orders. The European Missionaries in the field were only three, two of whom I then admitted to the Priesthood. It is a pro- mising healthy Mission, greatly needing support.
It is passing through no crisis whatever it has no peculiar difficulties nor pro- minent features--except its very inadequate support, amounting almost to apparent neglect, Foochow has equal claim to the presence of a resident Bishop, and in some respects superior claims to Ningpo, supposing any such claims at all to exist. Is the Church Missio- nary Society prepared to advocate the consecration of a Missionary Bishop for every Mission? To make each Mission a Diocese! If so, the views of the Society have greatly changed on the subject of Episcopacy! China needs-not more Bishops, but more Missionaries. In her 4 Missions, she has at this moment but 8 European Mission- aries and 2 native Deacons in the field, however many names appear upon the list. When we can number 25 or 50 instead of 10 work- ing Missionaries in China, it may be time to think of dividing the Diocese and multiplying Bishops. Then perhaps, but hardly yet I think, it might be time for the Committee to inform me, as the letter of the Hony. Clerical Secretary instructed me February 5, 1868, in reply to my proposal and that of the Missionaries for the ordination of Native Catechists at Ningpo and Foochow ; "The Committee reserve "for the present their sanction to the ordination of native teachers in all
(5)
All this is to assume at
"their China Missions till they have matured their plans for superinten- "dence and proper position of ordained men.” least that the missions in China occupy a far higher stage of progress than really is the case. We want work, not theory. We are, after all, but laying the foundation; there is very little yet to be seen above ground, even at Ningpo; though more at Foochow. But the building cannot rise without builders; and it is workmen China wants, not
many masters,"
+
4. The consecration of a Missionary Bishop for Ningpo is not desired, even by the Missionaries of the Society. Their unbiassed testimony was decisive of their feelings upon the subject. The Rev, James Vaughan, one of the most experienced of your Calcutta. Mis- sionaries who accompanied me as my Chaplain on my visitation, thus wrote from: Ningpo to the Hony. Clerical Secretary."I feel very decidedly there is nothing as yet in the circumstances of the Mission "here which makes the appointment of a Bishop necessary or even "desirable. And it is a singular fact that of all the persons I have spoken to in China, Clergy and Laity, I have not met one in favor "of the scheme proposed.”
5. Such an appointment is by no means requisite for the admi- nistration of the ordinances of the Church. With the ready help of the Missionaries I found no difficulty in addressing the Chinese con- gregations, and ministering either Holy Orders or the rite of confir- mation. Nor have I found difficulty in examining the Catechists. And I believe that the occasional visit of the Bishop, rather than his continued residence, or even too frequent presence, will conduce to the healthier state, greater activity, freedom and elasticity of the Mission. Here, let me observe, in correction of a prevalent mistake at home, a Ningpo-speaking Bishop would occupy in the other Mis- sions the same position as that of a Bishop altogether unacquainted with the vernacular. At Shanghai he could not officiate in the verna- cular; if even at Hangchow, at present a branch of the Ningpo Mission. The idea of a Ningpo-speaking Bishop to officiate as a Chinese-speaking Bishop for China is an absurd fallacy. It would be as reasonable to speak of a Maltese-speaking Bishop to officiate for Europe or Africa!
Lastly, I believe that the consecration of the Senior Missionary of C. M. S. as Missionary Bishop at Ningpo would in fact deprive the native Church of an Episcopal superintendence worthy of the name. There is no endowment of the proposed See: the Bishop receives his annual salary as a Missionary of C. M, S., and as Missionary he makes his annual report to the Committee and receives his instructions from them, to whom he is amenable. His allegiance must be a divided one, in part to the Archbishop and in part to a Committee! and if such divided allegiance, from the necessity of the case, is allowed on the part of Missionaries in reference to the Bishop of the Diocese in which they are licensed, it remains to be shewn that such an ecclesi- astical anomaly should be extended, at least without clear necessity,
798
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