12 



CEYLON BRANCH 



advanced in age for the task, the local Government did not 

 carry out the appointment, and Mr. Cat thought he could be 

 more serviceable in the course of native education by prepar- 

 ing Singhalese books for the use of the Seminary, in which also 

 he succeeded remarkably, as the eulogiums pronounced on him 

 by his brethren in their letters of that time abundantly testify. 



In 1669 a recommendation from the Ceylon clergy was 

 sent, that at Matura, Negombo and Manaar, a located minister 

 should be appointed, not only because those at Head Quarters 

 could pay these towns no more than occasional or periodical 

 visits, but because at each of those places a considerable gar- 

 rison of soldiers had been stationed. The classis replied that 

 as there had been of late a call for ministers from all parts of 

 India, they must for the present refrain from urging the mat- 

 ter on the Company. A dispute arose this year between the 

 clergy of Ceylon and them of Batavia about the Ordination of 

 a krankbezoeker to the ministry. The Colombo Consistory 

 objected to it, on the ground that it was contrary to Ecclesias- 

 tical regulations, that a local body like the Consistory of Batavia 

 should on their own authority assume a power which was not 

 vested in them. The Batavian clergy nevertheless insisted on 

 their right of ordaining him. The classis strongly disapproved 

 of the step ; referring to their Synodal Acts of various dates, 

 first, that a Consistory had no such power ; secondly, that the 

 rule of two or more Consistories joining and forming a Pres- 

 bytery for the purpose of ordination did not apply to India; 

 thirdly, that it Avas their wish that the Colonial Churches 

 should in this respect also be entirely dependant on the classes 

 of Holland; fourthly, that though such power might be sup- 

 posed to be vested in the Colonial clergy from the instructions 

 given them, yet that nothing of the kind was expressly intended, 

 as it was generally understood, that the isolated position of 



