Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-03-26
NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE.

d
Conference was delivered in the First
M. e. Church, New Brunswick, on
Wednesday evening, by the Rev. Willis
Reeves. The services opened with
singing by the choir, prayer and sing
ing. The large audience room was full
and many were seated in the galleries.
The preacher remarked, by way of
preface, that this was the heaviest
cross he had ever been called to take
up. When he was notified that he had
been selected to preach the sermon, he
thought he could not stand up before
so many of his brethren to preach.
But when he considered that they had
all been preaching for year, with few
opportunities to hear any one but
themselves, he had concluded that it
would be such a rare treat that his
brethren would be satisfied with any
thing. He selected for his text the
ninth verse of the fortieth Psalm;
1--WE have thought of thy loving kind
ness, O God, in the midst of thy tenn
pie" His theme was the Sacred ex
ercise of Christian thought
He elucidated his points by numer-
GUS pithy, practical, humorous and pa
thetic illustrations. In speaking of the
utility of private meditation, he related
an incident in the life of Mrs Sigour-
ney, the Hartford poetess, who, after
parting with company in the twilight
of the evening, repaired to her library,
and composed the best of hymns in the
Methodist hymn book, beginning, II
love to steal awhile away" He EN-
phasized the duty and necessity of
thought in preaching. He would not
cross the street to hear man preach
who did not thoroughly study his ser
mons. He did not believe in morose-
ness and melancholy. He would not
sing this hymn, This world is a will
derness of VICE." for he did not believe
it and would not sing what he did not
believe. This was a good old world.
The enemy has sown a few tares-not
many. Let such as feel that this world
is wilderness of woe, go to Calvary,
and sing the dying love of Jesus
He believed in the providences of God,
and gave many Incidents commonly
called chance or accident. He believed
the hand of God was in them. Let us
think of the bright side, stand by the
brink of the river and look over to the
other side where loved ones are beck
oning us to the pearly gates of Heaven.
The forty-ninth session of the Con
ference was opened Thursday morning
in the First NJ. E. Church. Bishop H
w. Warren, D. d., L. L. d., in calling
the Conference to order, read the
Scriptural lessons appropriate to the
opening services, from Mark 10th
chapter, and Second Corinthians, 2nd
chapter. The 77Sth hymn was sung
after which the Bishop engaged in g
fervent prayer.
The Bishop then addressed the Con
ference, commencing them for theil
prompt attendance at the opening ser
vice, stating that no grander sight
could greet the human eye than 6
body of ministers of the Gospel who
have come up from their various fields
of labor to report the successes anG
triumphs of the year of toll and labor
that they had just closed.
The Holy Communion was then ad
ministered by the Bishop to the Pre-
siding Elders and other aged members
of the Conference, who in turn gave i,
to the junior members, and the laity
and all who were in good standing il
other Evangelical churches were in
vited to participate in these services
The Bishop made touching allusior
to Bishop Wiley, who, few months
ago died while ON an episcopal tour il
China.
Rev. G. B. Wight, the former Sec
retary. was instructed to call the roll
and one hundred and thirty-three min
listers answered to their names. Three
were reported deceased during tn'
year-Revs. J. Ashbrook, d. Duffell
and S. It. White.
Revs. J. Crawford, and J. Ware
Gamble, having been transferred dur
ing the past year, were introduced b.
the Bishop to the Conference.
G. B. Wight was elected Secretary
who announced Revs. Roe, Stranger
Payran and Betting as his assistants.
ID. b. Harris was chosen statistica
Secretary. with Revs. Payran, Clifford
and others as assistants.
Reports were received from standin,
committees.
A draft of 1886 was ordered from tn,
Book Concern for the aid of the super
] animated ol~ thai. xx,iI