THE UNION cHURCH.—3rd July. A rHEoLoGuN, of whose adherence to certain doctrines grave doubts were entertained, was once asked if he believed in the perseverance of saints. He evaded the question by replying that he believed in the perseverance of sinners. Wo have occasionally too mach reason to share his belief in this latter, but we believe also, in a sense other than that which the words bear in theological text-books, in the former. To-morrow will witness the crowning of not merely dave but years of effort on the part of the congregation that have for so long met in the obscurity of the Shantung road, and the new Union Church which they have built on the land adjoining the British Consulate will for the first time be opened for public worship. As long ago as when the Rev. J. Thomas was in Shanghai, the Church Committee were enquiring into the price of Iand with a view to the selection of a suitable site for a new Church, and from then onwards the question has never been allowed to drop for long. It was not, however, until the end of 1881 that the first practical step was taken, About that time, we believe, the Committee received a letter requiring them to vacate their building as soon as convenient, since the ground which it stood was needed for mission purposes. This seemed to necessitate something being done. A of the congregation was called, a Resolution was passed to proceed at once to the raising of the requisite fands for the purchase of Iand and erection of a Church, and a Building Commitiee was forthwith elected to carry into effect the resolution of the congregation. Although it afterwards transpired that the Directors of the London Missionary Society at home had not authorized and did not sanetion the letter which had thus been the means of changing hesitating intention into definite action, it was felt that the relation in which the congregation stood to the Society hed been shown to be so unsatisfactory thst it would still be well to persevere in the resolution adopted. None the less it was realized that the undertaking was a sufficiently serious one. Although the old building bad been erected by the congregation, it appeared likely, since it was on the London Mission property, that it would pass out of their bauds without their receiving any compensation. Thus a congregation, neither large nor wealthy, and with no nucleus of building fund such as in most such cases results from the selling of old property, found themselves face to face with the task of building a new Church, which it would be clearly inexpedient to raise on any but a good, that is to say, an expensive site. However, they have struggled bravely with their difficulties, doing their utmost themselves and winning no small amount of sympathy and help from others. We remember that at the Bazaar held in the Masonic Hall at the end of 1882, not only were quite a number of those whose church relation is with the Cathedral present to help by purchasing, but not a few were also presiding at the stalls, while the Cathedral Chaplain, the Rev. W. Groves, took part in the ceremony by which the Bazaar was opened. In days when religious rivalry and jealousy are so much talked of, it is pleasing to find one Charch apparently deserving and another church ready to give Christian sympathy and help apart from ecclesiastical identity. We trust that this happy condition which marked the beginning may continue to the end, and that the Union Church may be ever able to realize its name not only in relation to the diverse denominational elements represented within it but also in relation to the other churches of the Settlement.
It is unfortunate that, owing partly to the usual necessity of allowing an extension of the contract time for the completing of the building, and partly to the illness and consequent absence of the Minister, the opening services should take place in such hot weather. It had been arranged, we understand, in expectation that it would be in the cold season, to hold a series of meetings in connection with the congregation migrating from the old Chapel to the new Church. This arrangement has now had to be abandoned and there will be no special services, though necessarily those of to-morrow, being the first in the new building, will have a somewhat special character.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.