The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-12-10

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher is in the habit of
saying very extraordinary things. Buff the re
ports of the daily press are to be trusted he ex-
ceeded himself in the wildness of his utterances
on Sunday morning last His text was C. am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ ;" and if he
is not misrepresented the sharp criticism Of, a
respectable daily paper is thoroughly just, when
it says that, to give vivacity to his teachings
Mr.. Beecher overstepped the limits which
divide the sensational from the scandalous.
Christian men who reverence all the teachings
of God have one comfort left to them with re-
spect to the Plymouth preacher-his influence
on mems thoughts'is not and never can bea
tithe Of what it once was.-Eraminer and
/ Chronicle
Father Mcnamara, speaking at Clarendon
/ Hall on Sunday evening, November 23d, ex-
planned how many priests of the communion he
has left, lump their masses. An intention V
in the Church of Rome means the purpose for
which any person requests mass to be said and
pays for it ; and law of the church is that no
mass shall be said unless its specific intention"
be in the mind of the officiating priest at the
time. But Father Mcnamara declares that the
practice is quite common for priest to receive
| the money for one hundred intentions, and then
to clear them all off with single mass. He
says no political schemers come near the Roman
Catholic priesthood in the wholesale character Of
their lodges The deception of saying one mass
for hundred or so was exposed in Germany
several years ago.
The death of the Rev Dr. Burlington is an
nounced Hew pastor of the Clinton Avenue
Congregational church, Brooklyn, for % years
and died from the exhaustion resulting from a
cancer on his lip and chin, with which he had
been afflicted for over two years and on which
he has had several surgical operations performed
without success, both in this country and in
Europe He has notattended to his church duties
for some time past, and not long ago was made
Pastor Emeritus. He was graduate Of Yale,
and for ten years oficiated in Charleston, S. c.,
aad for thirteen years in Philadelphia, where his
first wife lived He leaves a wife and six chill
dren. His church was one of the largest and
wealthiest in Brooklyn.
PIrrsBURG AND VIcINIrY.-An unusual NUM-
Der of churches are vacant Just now in this neigh
borhood the Second, Fourth, and Seventh of
this city, Sharpsburg, McKeesport, Freeport, and
/ Salisbury. ro
/ 1t is good news telearn that an enceqraginc,
ssrevi-al < .reprogress ~ yakdale RsssDytes.
Pittsburgh PresGyttrtdSf BGnner.
A few months ago, Rev s. D. Burchard, D.
d. for forty years pastor of the Thirteenth Street
Presbyterian church, New York, resigned his
charge His health was no longer equal to the
arduous duties of city pastors life. But rest
Of few months has greatly benefited him physi-
cally, and his desire for labor has become too
strong to be resisted. Accordingly he has ac-
cepted a call to the Murray Hill church, and has
been duly installed" in his new field of labor.
A man who can minister for forty years accept
ably to New York congregation has exeep-
tional qualities of mind and heart, and if his
health continue DR.. Burchard is capable of doing
some of the best work of his life in the next ten
years.
The new Second Baptist church, st. Louis,
Mo-, which was dedicated three or four weeks
ago is claimed by its members to be the finest
: Baptist church in the world This congregation
lost very beautiful new building last January
by fire just as it was being completed but it.
members Immediately decided to rebuild, and
the splendid structure is the result The church
is perhaps the largest in St. Louis, certainly the
most beautiful. 1t cost nearly 100000.
The Synod of Long Island were to proceed
with the case of DR.. Talmage and the Brooklyn
Presbytery next week, but the printing of the
testimony was not completed, and the Synod
will adjourn until the following week, December
10TH
The testimony makes in print volume OF
700 pages. Each member is to be furnished with
copy beforehand to read, mark, and inwardly
digest.
On Monday last the trustees Of Talmages
church unanimously recommended secession from
the Presbyterian Church, but no action on the
subject has been taken by the congregation
NJ Y Observer
The contributions of the Presbyterian Synod
of New York to the various Boards for the year
aggregate $263,OOO, an excess of Sal 900 over
the preceding year The Presbytery of New
York gave upward of $233,O 900, an average of
S13 per member.
There are only two Congregational churches
in West Virginia. at Huntington and Credo-
Each has received just twenty new members
since January lst.
The Northern General Assembly, in recon-
mending an order of collections for the Boards
named December as the Freedmens month We
have received from the chairman of the COM