The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-03-15
FOREIGN CHURCH NEWS

fOhElGN CHORCH NEWS.
In Italy, the Wesleyan Methodists
maintain regular preaching in 90 places. Ia
the Naples district, they have SIS members and
1876 probationers.
1t is stated that the Revision of the
Old Testament is finished, with the exception of
Eccleslastes and the Song of Solomon The
second revision will take the whole of 1882. and
the finished work will be published in 1888.
The organization of a Salvation Army.
to be worked on Church of England lines, and
to be In no way antagonistic to the Army" at
present campaigning so vigorously throughout
the country, is proceeding towards completion
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have
been duly informed that the new branch is in
course of formation.
The Rev. Richard Lovett, of the
Countess of Huntingdons Chapel, Rochdale, has
been appointed to succeed DIR. Green as the Book
Editor of the Religious Tract Society An
able article appeared from Mr.. Lovett in the last
British Quarterly r evje,o on the Textual Reyis
ion of the New Testament
The Methodist Recorder mentions a
town in Northamptonshire (England) where the
whole the Nonconformist ministers met weekly
for prayer over the prevailing wickedness Of
the place. AS the result, we are told, the town
and district have been blessed with such wave
of Divine influence as they have never before
known.
The Missionary Herald for March
contains report Of the expedition conducted by
the Rev. Mr.. Richards into the kingdom OF
Umzila, the African chieftain in whose domain
the American Board has planned to establish a
mission. Contrary to the reports of the few ex-
plorers who had previously seen Umzila, Mr.
Richards declares him to be courteous host
with. pleasant face and kingly bearing.
-SwEDEN-A wonderful revival is
in progress at Gutenberg Orebro, Stockholm,
and in the central part of the Kingdom. Rev
Theodore Truve writes to Prof Thwing that
hundreds have been hopefully converted since
the Week of Prayer, and daily meetings are
continued. He breaches once, twice and thrice
a day. " We have to drive the people from the
chapel by turning down the gas at / p. NJ"
There Is hardly family in some districts VIII are
some one has not been converted in some house
holds all have been converted
Probably no session of the British
Parliament has ever been preceded by so much
prayer on behalf of our legislators as that lust
opened In some towns special meetings for
prayer on this behalf have been summoned.
There are troublous times ahead, arising from
difficulties at home and abroad All this is an
urgent call upon us to pray that spirit of Justice
in the minds of those who make our laws or
administer them.
.-Sacerdotalism impinges upon many
wholesome truths. Here is Canon Liddon
preaching against the comfortable doctrine of
the final perseverance of the saints, and arguing
that " if the grace of God in conversion secured
salvation, then there would be no true place or
function for the sacraments" There is a true
place for the, Word, for prayer Tor the sacra
ments for all the means of grace in the Chris
tian life, and yet no one &c can separate us from
the love of Christ There must be t1gist in the
theology which separates them
The Established Church of England
has $500 curates employed and between 4 900
and 5000 unemployed, or w. C.s as we would
call them They have an Alliance At its re-
cent meeting it was proposed to declare " We
cannot nope for any satisfactory security of
tenure until the people have a distinct voice in
the appointment aud in the retention of their
ministers or, in other words, until a principle
of local self government is restored to the
Church" The proposal was strongly opposed,
as being likely to lead to Congregationalism
and it was only negatived by majority of two
votes. So small is the support of the curates
that it was stated, in order TO supply 5000 with
stipends varying from El5O to $3.50 per annum,
fund would be necessitated of not less than one
seventh of the whole annual income of the
Church OF England.
From the Chronicle of the London
Missionary Society we learn that the average
per cent. Of gain in foreign mission churches Of
evangelical societies is taken year by year. far
greater than that of our home churches with all
their multiplied agencies and facilities. In
Africa there are go native ordained preachers.
and 5000 other helpers in India SOS native
preachers and also a large body of helpers and
in China there are l39 of such native evanoe-
lists. In Japan, where ten years ago there was
not an organized church. there are now twenty
eight ordained native preachers and 1892 church
members.
of new converts lately added to
the churches under the care Of the Presbyte-
rian Board Of Foreign Missions one is in the
Chippewa mission, two in the Omaha, six in the
Seminole, five at Napa, CAL one at Lien Chow,
near Canton, four at Bogota, making eleven in
the year ten at Zacatecas, and two at San
Miguel-in ALL during the year O64 are re-.
81. y D. 4 A. 4 q