Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-18
REV. ALIEN BarrrA1s.--Thi, vero..

/ a.
bic preacher, well known and highly g.
teemed by many people in Centre county
has just completed his iiftieth year In tho
ministry Of the Methodist Kpscots
church. AT the recent annual meeting, Of
the Central Pennsylvania Conference. a,
Altoona, he was called upon 10 preach his
Semi-centennial sermon. We copy the fol-
lowing account Of this service from N.
Altoona Daily Tr,b,nc of Monday Ina,
feeling that many Of tho readers Of n.
DEMOCRAT will peruse ii with pleasure and
interest:
Rev. Mr.. Brittian announced his toY,.
deuteronomy l:1l-"Ihe Lord God Of
your fathers make you thousand times n.
many as you are and bless you as be-
| promised you"
The earlier part Of the discourse EN-.
braced the origin, call, and character or
| the ancient IsrAelites, Ia which was draw
pertinent analogy between them and III.
people called Methodsts. The points or
analogy indicated were, first, such re.a,,.
b!anccs as were exhibited in the couuf,.
si6nlng, qualifications and adaptability T.,
their work Of Moses and Wcslcy. gug,i,,
with great aptncss Lord Macauleyrs eIa7
CANT tribute 20 Mr.. Wesley, whose scb,I.
arsbip and stAtc,manlike qualities mad.
him the peer Of Richclieu and. second
| such resembances As exist between a..
| people Of Gods promise and those who,r
he represented here to-day. lie wa cs,..
ful tO draw distinctions as well Il, rasn,,.
banccs, and found no objection 10 b.. I.,.
/ Of thought in that the Jews were ugy.,s.
aside, since their rejection j. not e,e,f,r
and they bad forfeited their bles.iup. ty
the spirit Of disobedience The srag,I
part Of his discourse related - bi. ov,
work during the past fifty year. He re.
marked that nifty years ago thi. month D..
was admitted into the old Baltimore Con.
| ference. 1t embraced all the tc-ri,.,y
now occupied by the Central Peun.vly..
mia Conference, together with the STAT "a,
Maryland, large part Of Virginia. tAere.
alalg the line Of North Carolina. md ..
10 andslong the Allegheny mountain. !,
embraced IS circuits, l0G minister. sf1
| q, 900 members. Now, with onc.,h,r8 o,
the territory there are ia Circuit. a-a
/ stations, l9j ministers and 3G.OJU Nom
I bers or taking two conference. gU-
| charges, 3s5 ministers aud - 900 member.
/ My fret circuit was in the AUe,herv
/ mountains, in the counties Of C.-a,t..f
/ Indiana and Elk. II was 800 milo. ,t s7.
I tent and required three weeks g, erra-..
/ pass II, preaching in the fneh1i.u!. aJrr.t
nineteen times. The busiue-. ,g ra
/ young itinerant was 10 travel from -e,t.r.
ment 10 settlement trAversing th. deer md
elk paths, oftimes without guide. and
! preaching "Chritt cYuciGed = Tho fa.-..
I in the wilds. To these the Word wa.
precious aud highly appreciated Ba,0cy
are nog gone In these hard au. ,.l.-.r.s
Ae.ds, said the speaker, / received H., g.
per month. To-day part of that cir-ls.
the balance being IN the Erie Conference
has twelve charges, twelve minister. and
pay for the support Of the corr,e. > plJ
This circuit was type Of the lir-t iarac
The fourth was in the North Branch cogp-
try, being the Berwick Circuit Vow
there are eleven charges and twelve
preachers occupying the field. The speak
er alluded touchingly to this being the
1 sadde-t hour Of his life, when hc fo., iaa,
he should step aside, rcmaTkiug that if
possible he would endeayor - Join iu
spirit Johns words, "Hc must iucrea.e.
bat i must decrease" II was. ueterihc-
less, precious satisfaction 20 feel that he
had witnessed during his life the coa7sr-
zion Of 5000 souls. From his standpoint
he would now invoke upon Eis people the
two-fold benediction Of the icEt. the ~.
largement Of the church IN number. ari
the spiritual blessings of that Holy one
who had said "Lo / am with YOU always
even unto the end Of the world
TIE AFFECTING SCENE.
AZ the conclusion Of the sermon tie
/ good bishop arose and extended the aged
veteran his hand, and addressed him 81.
fellow pilgrim" whom God was sending
/ to the front and not 20 the rear. To the
front where the chief bonors are II
would take many Of the men about us
twenty, thirty or forty years TO &c; 90 y0gr
] point Of distinction. He invoked upon
him the blessings Of Almighty God. TIE
scene was picture for an artist The
venerable men, the sermon, the surround
I ings, the memories, the multitude, The
I throbblng bcaris, the softened eycs, all
combined TO make il an hour not 10 be
forgotten. The Gospel "Baitlc Hymn
/ was sung known as "Thc Thousand Year,"
Mr.. Benjamin Bradley, Of this place,
met with an accident on Monday last
while engaged in the planing mill Of John
Ardell & Co. The fingers Of his left hand
became entangled in the machinery OF
Joiner at which he was working, taking
off the first two fingers at the first joint
Mr.. Samuel Lose, Of Brush Valley,
has contracted 20 erect the new Reformed
/ chur,h t.,iIl,,. =. MIL. -.