Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-10-29
GkowTH OF BAPTIsTs,

Twenty five years ago the first Baptist
church Of Portland was organized, and
some time since determined to usher in
the yearly anniversaries with a quarter
centennial gathering of a general char
anter. The church is nov In a flourish.
ing condition; having received the last
year l5l members, and now RRmberipg
42o. The pastor, Rev. j. z. A. Henry.
preached q historical sermon on Sunday
morning, from which extracts are made
IN another column. The evening was
devoted to UNCONVENTIONAL service,
opeDed by Rev. u. j. Pierce, as former
pastor, with an address on "Our De-
nominational Peculiarities," making
four points:
l. A professedly regenerated member
ship.
?. Bible symbolic baptism.
3. Consistent restricted communion.
4. Simple New Testament polity.
Rev. q. II. Hobart, of East Portland,
followed with Baptist history. finding
churches essentially Baptist from the
days of the Apostles, enduring OFT re-
peated prosecutions. The last burning
in England was Baptist. 10 174l the
Baptists Of Nevbern petItioned for the
privilege OF erecting a church edifioe,
and were publicly whipped. Today
there are two hundred Thousand Bsp-
lists IN North Carolina, and the denom-
ination that whipped them has four
thousand. In l84S there were 700, % in
the United States; there are nov 2,507.-
IS3. A similar increase would produce
forty million Baptists in the United
States fifty years hence, and convert the
world in a esntary. Last year 1885, $40
we're baptised. They hold SIC 6,6s5.95
of church property in the Union. and
last year paid in running expenses and
benevolence $6,9S0, ,705. In these con-
tributions New York State leads with
81, ,920, aud Massachusetts, follows
with $75e.270. Georgia leads in men,
bers with 256, ,99l, gathered in SO55
churches.
Baptists today have y colleges and
universities, theological seminaries, 60
seminaries and academies, 10 ssminsriss
for ladies, Is institutions for freedU en-.
Their Foreign Mission Union employs
1874 missionaries, 1852 native teachers,
and has ll2, ,l32 members in heather
lands, 9977 of whom were received by
confession and baptism last year. The
receipts of the Union were fS42, ,493 last
year.
The American Baptist Home Mission
Ssciety employs 6o4 missionaries and
received last year S40l ,692 for its work.
Rev. Z. O. Anderson, President of the
McMinnville college. followed on the
UNCONVENTIONAL outlook, showing how
ages are required for tree to grow.
coral reef to be formed, or great prin-
ciple to be evolved. The Gulf of Mexico
once extended to the foothills Of the
Rocky and Allegheny Mountains. Year
sy year the water line was pushed south
and east, until. after untold ages, the
broad Mississippi valley appeared for
mans habitation.
The Willamette valley was deposited
by the same slow process, and now needs
only to be tickled with a plov TO laugh
with golden grain. These denomina-
tionsl deposits Of the past, mid tears
and blood, are our heritage today. II,
as poet has said,
Better fifty years Of Europe
Than cycle Of Cathay."
still more can We say:
Better twenty Ave years of Portland
Than a ceutary of place gone TO seed.
The outlook is glorious. Let Us fill
its possibilities. T.