The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1876-12-08
Ministerial Changes.

The Brick Church on Murray Hill i'm this
city has invited Rev. Lleweliyn d. Bevan,
Of London, to its pulpit, and he has accept
ed the invitation and will begin his minis
try in few weeks. He is highly praised
as an able and impressive preacher. But
his call would not deserve special notice
were it not one Of a number of similar in
vitatioDs to English and Irish clergymen.
Rev. DR.. John Hall and Rev. DR.. William
Taylor have recently come here from abroad
and owe something of their success to this
fact. Quite large number of clergymen
| Of different denominations are of foreign
origin. A very few years ago the evangeh-
cal churches supplied their colleges with
young men full Of religious zeal and
anxious aIa TO to enter the minist... !.
the college graduates entered the church
door. But Of late the number has fallen
off till it is hard to get recruits, and college
graduates turn away from the church to
enter the more attractive and lucrative Sec
ular professions. Ali the old sects are
troubled for want Of ministers, and espec-
tally Of the highest class. This one reason
of the great number of calls extended to
foreign clergymen and that Princeton Col
lege is under the management of DR.. Nc
Gosh. Tt is said that while American
preachers have the most activity and smart
ness, the English are more thorough and
practical and much the better trained.
And for this reason American preachers
are in quite as much demand in England
as English clergymen are here. The sue
cess of Moody and Sankey in England
stimulated desire to have other American
divines, and an American reviyalist labored
successfully in London after they returned,
and project was entertained of calling one
of our popular preachers to London. Chi
cago has two Unitarian clergymen from
England, and England has just taken two
from the United States. The system of
international ministerial exchanges seems
to be rapidly developing and may lead to
important results. But denominational
interchanges are still more frequent and
interesting. Presbyterians and Congrega-
tionalists cross the sect lines without no.
tice, and it would surprise most people to
know how many of each minister in the
churches Of the other. OF the $50 Unita-
rian ministers in England, thirty-six were
formerly Baptists, and if Mr.. Hepworth
left the Unitarian for the Congregational
fold his successor in Boston left the Con-
gregatioral for the Unitarian. It is not
little significant that the opening address
at the Episcopal Church Congress in Bos-
ton was made by Bishop Huntington, and
that one of the chief papers was by DR..
Osgood, both of whom were Unitarian di-
vines. The two Collyers were Methodists,
Moody was Unitarian, two Chicago Uni
tarians were Congregationalists, Bishop
Cummings was Methodist, and DR.. Bar
ry, a prominent Universalist clergyman of
Wisconsin, has just become orthodox.
These are samples of thousand instances
in which the dividing lines between sects
and churches have been crossed by clergy
men whose honesty is beyond dispute and
who render acceptable service in commun-
ions whose creeds and ritual are the oppo-
site of those in which they were educated.
These numerous ministerial exchanges
show the transition through which modern
Christianity is passing. They also tend to
weaken the partition walls and increase the
spirit Of liberation. .-G Graphic. ......