Evening star., 1881-12-31
RELIGIOUS NOTES.

RELIGIOUS NOTES.
The bishop OF southern Ohio Or. JaggaI
who went abroad for his health is improving il
Paris.
The bishop of Indiana is suffering from
slight stroke of paralysis. He has for tn
present been relieved from the care of his dio
cese, and will spend the winter in the south.
The dry-plate process is of great advantage
to photographers but it is death to preacher
salary when applied to the contribution uten
sils.
DR.. Courtney. of Chicago, in a recent Sc r
mon, expressed his regret that the use of in
cense. so expressive in its symbolism, was drop
ped after the reformation from the ritual of the
| Episcopal chur ch:
The Scotch Episcopal Bishop of Brechn has
recently demanded that the secular words
clergyman. and minister, shall no longer be ap-
pied to those who are priests Of God. and who
have received the gift by the laying on of
hands
| A correspondent of the London Tablet is
authority for the statement that during the
| past 80 years great numbers of the laty and
over 500 OF the clergy of the Anglican establish
meht have become converts TO the Catholic
| church.
According to Sir John Hcnnessy. Chris
tianity has for many years past been declining
| in China. Al this moment he asserts the to-
tai number of Christians is considerably less
than the number that existed in the last CEN
tury.
/ On the I'd of January the provisions made
for synodical reorganization in the Presbyterian
| church will go into effect. All the synodS i'm
each state will be consolidated. SO that the
| synodical boundaries shall conform to state
lines. There will be % synods under the new
| regulation. two of which are abroad.
Bishop Bowman traces a great difference
between the Chinese and Japanese. He does
not believe they are of the same stock I'VE
/ could sooner adopt the theory Of some and say
! that the people of Japan are of Jewish origin
mat they are the famous lost tribes. There are
reasons why we may suppose they have had an
origin in common with our North American In
diaDs."
/ Speaking Of the admonition of Bishop
Fraser to the ritualists in the diocese of Man
chester. the Church Times saws the action of
the bishop leaves no alternative but absolute
! revolt 1t had urged ali reasonable conces-
sions: but rs DIR. Fraser put if. there was moth
ih& ieit hlit stubborn resist ance. If the bishop
intended TO enforce his admOnition. Mr.. Green
would soon have plenty of company.
- Rev. Joseph Cook. of Boston. who is now
in Germany declares that infidelity there is on
the wane THE mythical theory of the origin of
Christianity is exploded. Strauss is no longer
heard OF IN discussions. His day and even that
Of Schenki and i,egan have gone 10y. The uni
versities where infttel professors lecture are
almost deserted while those which advocate
! evangelical views are crowded.
- The Christian Believers have recently held
conference in Chicago. Seventy-ive delegates
We're present, some from abroad. The meeting
+ was mostly one OF prayer and conference The
Believers meet annually in conference and settle
all difficulties. in administration or doctrine by
direct appea! To Scripture They have no pas
! tor or chairman. and look upon instrumental
music in church worship as a sin.
- The Rev. Mr. Smith, of the Free Methodist
church. of Fulton. N. Y. is blind. but he dis
charges the duties of the pastorate with his
wiie's help She accompanies him to church at
every service. occupies the pulpit with him.
| reads the scriptures and the hymns. At cl ss-
meeting she is 10y his side and informs him of
the names of those who speak and those who
lail to do SO. that he may call upon them to give
! their testimony
- The pastors of the city have arranged for
the holding of Union Prayer Meeting each
day, from II to / pm, during the week of
! prayer. beginning on Monday January ,. at the
Fourth Presbyterian church, 9th street between
4 and Ii streets. The following clergymen will
conduct them Monday. Rev S. NJ Hartsock,
Methodist; Tuesday. DR.. Cuthbert, Baptist
Wednesday. Rev. Mr.. Parsons. Lutheran: Thurs
/ day, Rev. Mr. Grimke. PRESBYTERIAN: Friday
President Patton. Congregational; SATURDAY..
Rev. DIR. Ames. Episcopal
New information is all the time coming TO
light on the subject of hell The latest is from
the Rev. Chauncey Giles Of Philadelphia. who
chose He'll for the topic of lecture. Mr.
Giles giyes it as his ncontroyertible opinon
based on long study of solid facts that hell is a
society OF wicked men and women divided into
two distinct bodies. known as the satans and
/ the devils. Ii is the deliberate conviction of
the reverend gentleman that the satans worry
| the devils and that the devils in return worry
the sataus. each set to the utmost extent of its
ability.
The Rev. Father Hasty. whose critical
illness i'll Norfolk Va, has been announced is
dead. On account Of an abscess from blood
poison his right leg had TO be amputed last
Saturday, which operation he bore well until
Monday when he began to sink by reason Of
/ MS previous enfeehled condition. Father HaSty
was native Of Portsmouth. Va. 35 wears of
age and was ordained to the priesthood nine
years ago. in st. Marys church. by Bishop
Gibbons. He labored successfully i'm Norfolk at
Old PoiDst. Lexington. Lynchburg Richmond
and iatteIiy in Norfolk again. where he went to
| fill the place of Rev Father Goodwin. He was
an earnest worker and much beloved.
"A Connecticut church and its pastor had q
falling out over the form Of invitation to be ut
tered AT the communion service He had been
in the habit of saying: 'Al who sincerely love
and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. and trust i'm
Him for salvation. are invited to meet with us
az the table Of our common Lord" But some
OF his deacons thought that was little too
broad an invitation. 20 they demanded that he
should invite in this wise: ..Al members of
Evangelical churches in good and regular stand
ing, providentially with us. are cordially III
Vited to sit with us at the Lords table rhe
contention became sharp between peep, and
pastor. There was a resignation. Inere is
now a vacant pulpit.
- Tie Christian al No,ik saws: .'The hide
pendent thinks there may he exceptional eases
where a sermon or Grafton may be quite fitting
in view OF the death of one preemnently useful
and prominent: but the inevitable sermon or
long address at every funeral. it is glad to be-
lieve lis going more and mere out of fashion,
1t adds: 1t is a great useless drain upon a
minister's energy and power. 1t is no wonder
a pastor in one Of our cities who had attended
sixty funerals in sixty days went home and
died All true. We should be glad to believe
that the inevitable funeral sermon was growing
less inevitable. But we fail to see it, Ask al
most any minister why not decline preaching
tEefuneral sermOn?' and the reply comes back
dcprecatingiy. oh. I've got to; they expect it,
So long as ministers continue to preach what