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of being transformed into his likeness are members of His body, and in Him members of each other, no denominational attachments will be capable of long hindering a fruitful unity in diversity which is the unity commanded by our Lord.

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Dr. Charles L. Thompson spoke as a prophet inspired of God when he showed what federation may do through bringing the churches to more hearty devotion to Jesus Christ. He said: "We must get together in spiritual perception and spiritual experience. We must pray together till the house trembles. must rejoice together in a divine. Christ, really not symbolicallyrisen from the dead, and to-day the Leader of His sacramental host. Then the world will believe. It may discount our ethics, as long it has. It may sneer at our brotherhood and call it our "closed shop "; but it will bow before the majesty of hearts fused together in the glow of a common passion for a living and conquering Redeemer the inspiration of a common service for humanity.”

Some of the Results

Is the question asked, Which of these aspirations and aims of the Conference have to do with foreign missions? One can only answer all, for a new spirit of missions will spring from a church life wherein the members abide in Christ in a new and holy sense. Where Christians truly abide in Christ they bring forth the fruit that He nourishes, and that fruit is missions-missions of all sorts, home, city, foreign. For the doing of the very work of Jesus Christ, by the power that He gives, is the object for which Christians exist. Could the principles

of this Conference prevail in the churches at home, in such an emergency as we face at present in the pagan world, the churches-not the missionary societies, but the churcheswould take the initiative in devising means of utilizing for our King the opportunities which His own hand has now prepared. For when these principles so prevail in the churches at home as to fill them with men and women to whom the wish of Jesus Christ is truly the supreme rule, and His living presence the power of life, church-members will naturally and without sense of loss carry on the work for which He died. Then volunteers for the field will abound, and money, which is now piling up in heaps, because people can not find ways of spending it which satisfy, will be forthcoming for the support of missions. It will be forthcoming not because home and foreign missionary secretaries are alert to perceive accidental occasions for appeal, or keen masters of psychology and motive, or silver-tongued in emotional persua

sion.

The men and the gold will be forthcoming because the church-members-the members of the body of Jesus Christ-will wish to be what He has called them to be-branches through which the vine brings forth much fruit.

From the missionary point of view, the coming together of the evangelistic denominations to devise means of arousing all Christians to a more abundant life in Christ is a new era; it signifies that the missionary command of Jesus Christ will not lose its force, but obedience to it will remain the supreme expression of His abiding life in man.

The Plan of Federation The Conference adopted the following plan of federation as one to be recommended for approval by the constituent Christian bodies:

Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come when it seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential oneness of the Christian churches of America in Jesus Christ as their Divine Lord and Savior, and to promote the spirit of fellowship, service, and cooperation among them, the delegates to the Inter-Church Conference on Federation asembled in New York City do hereby recommend the following Plan of Federation to the Christian bodies represented in this Conference for their approval.

1. For the prosecution of work that can be better done in union than in separation, a Council is hereby established whose name shall be the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America.

2. The following Christian bodies. shall be entitled to representation in this Federal Council on their approval of the purpose and plan of the organization. [Then follow the names of twenty evangelical denominations.]

3. The object of this Federal Council shall be

(1.) To express the fellowship and catholic unity of the Christian Church.

(2.) To bring the Christian bodies of America into united service for Christ and the world.

(3.) To encourage devotional fellowship and mutual counsel concerning the spiritual life and religious activities of the churches."

(4.) To secure a larger combined influence for the Churches of Christ in all matters affecting the moral and social condition of the people, so as to promote the application of the law of Christ in every relation of human life.

(5.) To assist in the organization of local branches of the Federal Council to promote its aims in their communities.

4. This Federal Council shall have

no authority over the constituent bodies adhering to it; but its province shall be limited to the expression of its counsel and the recommending of a course of action in matters of common interest to the churches, local councils, and individual Christians. It has no authority to draw up a common creed, or form of government or of worship, or in any way to limit the full autonomy of the Christian bodies adhering to it.

5. Members of this Federal Council shall be appointed as follows: Each of the Christian bodies adhering to this Federal Council shall be entitled to four members, and shall be further entitled to one member for every 50,000 of its communicants or major fraction thereof. The question of representation of local councils shall be referred to the several constituent bodies, and to the first meeting of the Federal Council.

6. Any action to be taken by this Federal Council shall be by the general vote of its members. But in case one-third of the members present and voting request it, the vote shall be by the bodies represented, the members of each body voting separately; and action shall require the vote, not only of a majority of the members voting, but also of the bodies represented.

7. Other Christian bodies may be admitted into membership of this Federal Council on their request if approved by a vote of two-thirds of the members voting at a session of this council, and of two-thirds of the bodies represented, the representatives of each body voting separately.

8. The Federal Council shall meet in December, 1908, and thereafter once in every four years.

9. The officers of this Federal Council shall be a president, one vicepresident from each of its constituent bodies, a corresponding secretary, a recording secretary, a treasurer, and an executive committee, who shall perform the duties usually assigned to such officers.

This Plan of Federation shall become operative when it shall have been

approved by two-thirds of the above bodies to which it shall be presented. It shall be the duty of each delegation to this Conference to present this plan of Federation to its National Body, and ask its consideration and proper action.

In case this plan of Federation is

approved by two-thirds of the proposed constituent bodies the Executive Committee of the National Federation of Churches and Christian Workers, which has called this Conference, is requested to call the Federal Council to meet at a fitting place in December, 1908.

THE CONFERENCE ON FEDERATION IN CHINA
BY REV. COURTENAY H. FENN, PEKING
Missonary of the Presbyterian Church

The representative Conference of missionaries which met in Peking on September 28th was able to take a long step in advance. Almost every quarter of the empire was represented by delegates from the following societies: The American Board, London Mission, American and English Methodist Mission, the American, British, and Scottish Bible Societies, the Canadian, American, English, Scotch, and Irish Presbyterian Missions, the China Inland Mission, the American and Swedish Baptist Missions, the Wesleyan Methodist Mission, the Foreign Christian Missionary Society, the Scandinavian Alliance, the S. P. G. Mission, the C. M. S., and the American Episcopal Mission. Four bishops were present, two from the Church of England, and one each from the American Protestant Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal Churches.

Rev. George T. Candlin, of the English Methodist Church, Tientsin, was chosen Chairman of the Conference, Rev. C. H. Fenn, of Peking, Secretary.

Since the Peitaiho Conference, in August, 1904, a committee has been in correspondence with all the missions in the empire, to secure the appointment of the General Committee,

and to obtain a full and official reply to the four propositions as to the desirableness and feasibility of a Union hymn-book, uniform designations for churches and chapels, uniform terms for God and the Holy Spirit, and a federation of the Christian Churches in China. Only a very small minority of the missions regard any of these propositions as either impracticable or undesirable, while a large majority expressed an enthusiastic and prayerful interest in the success of the committee's labors.

Rev. W. S. Ament, D.D., opened the discussion of the question of a Union hymn-book, and a resolution was finally adopted by the Conference, as follows:

"That this Conference endorses the generally expressed desire throughout China for a union in Christian hymnology; but whether a new book should be prepared, or a selection made of one hundred or more standard hymns (such as those issued by the North China Tract Society), for incorporation into other hymn-books, be referred to a representative council or committee for decision."

The themes for the second day's sessions were the propositions for Uniform Designations for Churches and Chapels, and Uniform Terms for God and the Holy Spirit. The dis

cussion of the first question was opened by the Rev. John Wherry, D.D., and, after general discussion, the following resolutions were adopted:

"Resolved, that, a large majority of the missionaries in China having expressed their willingness to adopt the designations Fu Yin Tang' (Gospel Hall) for street chapels, and 'Li Pai Tang' (Worship Hall) for places of worship, a representative council or committee be asked to endeavor to make the use of these designations universal in China.

"Resolved, that the Conference recommends to the various missions in China the adoption of the term ' Chi Tu Chiao' (Church of Christ) as the designation of the Christian Church."

Further discussion indicated a general sentiment in favor of the dropping of distinctive denominational names, so far as feasible.

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these terms in literature by the missionary body throughout China, while leaving the widest liberty in the use of terms in preaching.

"Resolved, that, in view of the widely expressed desire for the issue of the Bible with the terms Shang Ti' for God, and Sheng Ling' for Holy Spirit, this Conference suggests to the Bible societies that they take steps to ascertain the wishes of their constituents as to the printing of the Bible with these terms."

The Federation of Churches

The Rev. George T. Candlin presented a paper preliminary to the discussion of the fourth proposition. namely, a Federation of the Christian Churches of China. He declared the time, just at the rounding out of the first century of missionary effort in China, most opportune for the consummation of this great work. The ideal should be nothing less than one Christian Church for China. Could anything so warmly commend us to China's people and China's rulers?

The alternative is stern and melan

choly, a score or more of missions working independently, a Protestant community of one hundred and fifty thousand divided among a score of churches, the native leaders. in their growing independence, perpetuating the petty differences of which they would have known nothing had they not been taught, magnifying what were once, perhaps, living issues, but were long since dead.

Now is the time for federation, when the Church in China is still in the making, neither made nor spoiled. In the Chinese Christian Church there is a strong spirit of

oneness: let us not be the makers of strife. This is not a question of uniting missions, but, of joining native

churches. The Chinese Church must

be a spontaneous, original growth: let us not be responsible for the stunting of that growth by training it to a foreign frame. What we seek is union, not uniformity. There is room in a federation for "diversities of operation."

The Resolutions

After discussion, the final conclusions took shape in the following: “Resolved, that, in view of the al

most unanimous wish of the missionaries of China for some form of federation of the Christian Churches of the empire, steps be taken to form a representative council or committee, in which the native Church shall be adequately represented.

"Resolved, that we appoint the Peking Committee on Union, together with such missionaries in other parts of China as they may invite to cooperate with them, as a committee for the purpose of securing such a representative council (or committee), the work of this preliminary committee to cease when the representative council has been formed.

"Resolved, that this representative council (or committee) be asked to take into careful consideration the outline of a tentative scheme of federation already prepared by the Peking Committee on Union.

"Resolved, that all the actions of this representative council (or committee) be regarded as tentative and experimental, and that they be reported to the Centenary Conference of 1907 for its consideration and revision.

"Resolved, that this Conference appeals to the brethren of all missions and churches to continue earnestly in prayer on the subject of federation, asking especially that the Holy Spirit may come in unifying power upon the whole Church.

"Resolved, that this Conference appeals to the Executive Committee. for the General Centenary Conference

of 1907 to arrange for the adequate presentation of the subject of federation to that Conference."

It was decided to publish the records of the Conference in full for distribution throughout China.

There were few, if any, of those present during these days of conference who did not feel both confident that the year had seen great progress in this great work, and exceedingly hopeful that the final outcome, and that before many years, will be a genuine federation, unity in spirit, uniformity in terminology and hymnology, and a bright prospect of union in that one Christian Church for China, for which we are all praying.

MISSION COMITY IN INDIA

The question of mission comity in respect to occupation of villages is compassed at times with difficulty. If memory serves correctly, it was good Bishop Gell, the late universally esteemed Bishop of Madras, who laid down the principle for the guidance of Anglican missionaries in his diocese, that a village may be regarded as "occupied" by a mission where there are 3 families or 15 persons belonging to that mission permanently domiciled, where there is a catechist or teacher actually stationed, or where a regular agent of the mission has systematically visited and given instruction in the village for a period of two years, not less than six times a year. It seems to me that Bishop Gell's principle might be found workable in most parts of India, and would commend itself as practical and satisfactory to the majority of missionaries.

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