The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-06
Religious Notes.


It is a sad thing for an individual when his
life is not built into that of some Christian con-
gregation.
During the past forty years the Church of
England has expended 5000, 900 in building and
restoring churches.
The work of repairing Luther's house at Wit
tenberg, begun by Frederick William Nv in 1874,
has jnst been completed.
The colored people in a Kansas town have
keep up a protracted meeting since a year ago
last August without a days interruption.
The British government will send Matthew
Arnoid to France and Germany to inquire into
the system of free schools in those countries.
The feebIest church that is genuine in it's re-
htion to the life of God can do more for the la
borer than all the labor unions in Christendom.
The Russian government having decided to
eilow the retailing of liquor only in hotels and
eating-houses, $4,000 liquor shops will be closed
on Jan. /.
The king of the Maories in New Zealand en-
cages in active temperance work and it is en-
nounced that more than II, 600 of his.subiects
wear the 'blue ribbon"
Harmony" a Moravian missionary ship. re-
Gently sailed on the one hundred and sixteenth
annual voyage from London to Labrador, which
the society's ships have made since ITO.
IL is said that the colony of Victoria is win
ming an unenviable notoriety among all English
speaking communities by the hostility of the
state authorities to the Christian religion.
The Laplanders and Maories of New Zealand
are dying out The Laplanders now number
only 30, 600, and the Maories are reduced from
IOO, 900 to 40, 600 since Captain Cooks time.
'Uncle ST." the reformed newspaper man
OF Atlanta, Ga, has made much money by his
efforts as an amateur evangelist, and envious
enemies declare that, IKE his converter, Sam
Jones, he is a r~evivalist for revenue only.
The Channel islands, lying off the northwest
- - Lra "a AA-A A1--- A. N-A-A -.
since the conquest. and it is said that they are
the most completely Methodist population in the
world; out of the 80. 600 inhabitants the Metho-
dist chapels supply sittings for Is. 600.
Says the Advance, on revivals of religion:
"God assures as, by the experience of his mes
sengers in every age that the more earnestly the
pure and simple gospel is brought into contact
with the minds and hearts of men, and the more
persistently it is kept there, the more ground is
there for expecting it to produce the spiritual re-
suits for which it was given.
Exchange: The Congregations Union of Eng
land and Wales have resolved to commemorate
the Jubilee of the union by wiping out the debt
on all their church property. Nowhere has the
movement been more heartily gone into than in
Australia. In New South Wales the promises
for the fund amount to nearly 5000, 900. The
payments have amounted to over $3.50. 900.
At the recent semi-centennial celebration in
Persia about eight hundred HISTORIAN women
were present, and, in response to a request that
oil among them who could read should rise,
fully three fourths of them rose to their feet.
Fifty years ago the language of the people had
not been reduced to writing. Since then the
whole Bible in Syriac has been made accessible
to the people.
The Congregatioralist says that the use of the
Lords prayer in unsion by ministers and peo-
pie and responsive readings from the Psalms
have evidently come into very general use in
che Congregational churches. Such features in
public worship and congregational singing are
calculated to develop the devotional spirit by
erlistIng a more active interest in the exercises
than is possible where the minister and the choir
say and sing all that is said and sung.
The best and most widely advertised benevo-
lent institution in this world is the Bristol Or
phanage. originated and conducted by Rev.
George Mueller, whose name has become famous
In connection with his work. 1t is often spoken
of in these days as a faith work, which is a total
misapprehension of the facts. 1t is a case in
which a Christian man has put his faith and
labor into a much needed work until he has &C
quired the confidence OF good men, and they have
stood by him.
It can hardly be said that the particular form
OF Christianity which has become connected
with the name OF the great Scottish preacher in
London, Edward Irving, has had, or deserves to
have, any great success. 1t owes its origin to a
brain which had become partially diseased, and
1t Is iEseparably associated with Irying's mis-
fortunes and death. IrviBg's own followers be-
came cruel task masters, and sympathy with
poor Irving has, in the minds of many, damaged
the cause. The Irvingites, however. have won
place among the Christian denominations. and
now and again we hear of accessions to their
ranks. The latest report of the kind 10 that two