Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-02-24
Religious Intelligence.

-hcN. bcO. u. blcasOn, OF W est hutlandi
has been called to the pastorate of the Con-
gregational church in Manchester, Mass
Rev. A. W. Hazen, Of Norwich, has nc.
cepted call to the North Congregational
church in Nliddetown Conn
twenty-five persons united with the
Methodist church at Middlebury, last Sunday,
as fruits Of the prevailing revival.
Eleven persons were confirmed by Bish-
op Bssel at Windsor on the 18th inst
Special religious interest with cheering
results are reported of Brattleboro.
Much religious interest has been awak
ened among the boarding pupils at Mt An
thony Seminary, Bennington Centre; pray
er meetings are held and other marks of a
religious frame of mind are evinced
There will be a Methodist Sabbath
school Institute at st. Johnsbury Center on
the oath inst, and the Montpelier District
Preachers meeting at Mortified, March 7th
"A Young Mems Christian Association
has been organized in Benson, with L. d.
Ross as President.
The second county convention of Young
Mems Christian Associations for Rutland
NpuhNlf Will Dt utlu " lttHiOIu, on lNe ZIin
and 25th.
"A Baptist Ministerial Institute has been
in session for several days of the last week
at Burlington, at which large number of
clergy have been present, and some of the
most distinguished teachers of the denomina-
ton have given lectures. 1t has been highly
useful, and arrangements have been made for
holding another at future day
The American Bible Society printed
and sent forth from its publishing house dur
ing last year 100000 copies Of the Holy
Scriptures.
The Romanists claim in Pennsylvania
population of $4,000, with 5 colleges, 80
female seminaries, 20 select schools, ll5 par
ochial schools, 9 asylums, 34S churches, and
352 priests.
The Church of England holds in fec sim
pie the right to property worth $4,000 900
in gold, the annual income of which goes to
support the clergy. And yet not more than
half Of the population of England and Wales
is loyal TO that church, and but 40 per cent
in Scotland and II per cent. in Ireland.
The Seventh-day Baptists have rs church.
es in the United States. OF these the oldest
is that in Newport, founded in 1911 They
have 400 members in Hopkinton, r. l.. AIS
IN Westerly, II. l.. 324 in Shiloh, N. j.;
430 in Brookfed, N. Y. 500 in Alfred, n.
Y, where they have a Furnishing university /;
and 372 in Albion, Mich The total mem.
bership of all their churches is 1929. They
have a ieebly-supported foreign mission in
Shanghai, and propose to raise next year
$4,000 for missionary purposes, mostof which
goes TO church-extension at home
Perhaps the very largest Sunday school
in the United States is now to be found in
connection with the Bethany Mission, Phia-
delphia. AT its eleventh anniversary, held
this week, there were present ten gentlemen
and ten lady managers, one hundred and sew
en- teachers, and by actual count, eleven hun
dred and twenty-six pupils.
An English paper processes to have kept
record of those who have abandoned the
Church Of England for the Church of Rome
during the past year. 1t makes the number
between 2100 and 2200, including nineteen
clergymen, seven or eight university gradu-
ates and two peers.
The clerical associations Of Philadelphia
announce that their churches meet on the
evening of March 4th to pray for Gods bles-
sing on the country and the incoming admin
istration.
The American Home Missionary Society
appeals to the churches to aid its pressing
necessities The receipts for some time past
have fallen below the necessary expenditures,
and the society has been obliged to lessen its
appropriation. So useful an organization
ought to hold first rank in the regard of the
churches.
The Independent of Feb. 18th says -
We find in the UNCONVENTIONAL journals Of
the last week reports of reviyals all over the
country, although we have not collected the
statistics of those in the extreme South, in
which our exchanges are comparatively few
We find accounts Of over 1900 accessions
and conversions, Of which 5000 are among
he Methodists, 2,l00 among the Baptists
and over l,200 among the Presbyterians.
During 1868 there we're 40 home mis-
sionaries ON commission among the Congrega.
tional churches Of New Hampshire 20 of
them but part Of year. They labored with
Al churches and 2 other congregations.
These churches are very feeble and averaged
less than 40 members each Indeed, they
are and have been for 60 years growing weak
or and weaker The reason is that the old
settlements made on hills rather than valleys
present little except the instinct of home to
tempt the young people to remain in them.
The emigration far exceed the births, and the
churches are left composed of aged members.
Meanwhile the churches want the highest or.
der Of talent in their ministers, and such min.
listers find much more extensive fields of in
fuence elsewhere. The only practicable cure
for these evils is that such churches shall
commission their best resident member to be
their pastor. The same evils prevail even
more considerably in Vermont.
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