St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-21
STIRRING SPEECHES
Characterize the Closing
Hours Of the State Congre-
gational Convention.
The Session Has Accomplished
Great Work and Ends
Happily.
Presbyterian Ladies Exclude
Men From Their Deliber-
atoms,
Which Are Directed Toward
Certain Lines Of Mission
WnpE

The general annual meeting of Con-
gregationalists of Minnesota was con-
cluded yesterday. There were sessions
in the morning and afternoon. and a
rousing public meeting in the evening.
The meetings took place in Park Con-
gregatiOnal church, corner of Holly
and Mackubin streets.
Rev. j. F. TaintOr presented the re-
port of the committee on systematic
benefcence. He strenuously advO-
Gated conscientious, prOportiOnate CIV
ing. 1t was laid down that Automatic
that Christian giving is the Christians
business; and, with this as an illus
tration, the reverend gentleman pro-
ceeded to show how, from business
standpoint, an investment looking to the
promotion of church work can be made
most profitable. Christian giving must
keep pace with the necessities of the
business. Falling this. the money al
ready invested cannot possibly fructify
to tine extent it otherwise would. If the
business was not a profitable one their
contributions should be withheld, but
its prOfitableneSS can only be aScer-
tanned by members taking the deepest
personal interest in the work, and when
that was done the work could not fail in
being productive of good results. Chris
tian giving from a business point of
view ought to be an intelligent invest
ment of money in that which promised
best results. Christian giving ought
not to take the form of chances in
lottery. No man had right to conduct
his beneficence on the drOp-a-nickel-in-
the-Slot-and-see- hat-will-happen plan.
DR.. Heath, of Plymouth church. read
an able paper on "The Spirits Message
to the Churches" He urged loyalty to
church. The tendency was too much
in favor of making the churches mere
places of attraction, instead of places
of worship and spiritual guidance.
People nowadays erected handsome
edifice with a tapering spire, put in
brand new organ, and secured the serv-
ices of minister who would ''draw."
This accomplished, they just sat still
and waited for the good to follow.
Nothing could be more foreign to the
true spirit of the church. Christians
should lend their every effort in the diff
fusion of the Gospel, and promotion
of Christianity, and not leave the
whole responsibility to the drawing"
qualities of any particular minister. He
also urged loyalty to the truth. 1t was
the cause for deep regret that the ten
dency of the time was rather to deviate
from the word as laid down in the Bible
and seek other meanings and other doc
trines in pastures new. The pulpit was
developing dangerous controversial
spirit, and the orthodoxy of the past was
being rapidly supplanted by new, a
questionable and speculative theology of
the present. The Bible should be the
sole guide of the Christian pulpit and
the Christians generally.
Rev. S. l.. B. SpeaTe spoke in favor of
long pastorates. Zoo frequent changes
exercised deteriOrating influence on
both the church and the people at large.
Thellong pastorate commanded respect
and cemented the church and the peo-
pie. Constant changes introduced into
the church too much of the element of
novelty with its too often disastrous
cOneomitants. Rev. Seth NJ. Wilcox
championed short paStOrateS. Per-
haps they were not desirable, but they
were popular and in this whatever the
popular will demanded must be con-
ceded. ...-s-
Miss NJ. E. Hand read a paper on
1.-THE New West Education Commits
sion," and Rev. Il. Y. Gardner spoke on
1.-THE College and Education Society,""
State Supt. Herrick, of the Sunday
school committee. reported total of
2O,9O6 members of the Sunday school.
compared with 1925 last year, with pa
schools against III the previous twelve
months, and total contributions of
81, 533.46 against S9.512.
There was large audience at the
open meeting in the evening, when an
interesting address on the "Congrega-
tional Sunday School and Publishing
Society" was delivered by Rev. w. A.
Duncan, ID. D., the secretary of the So
ciety. Rev. NJ. w. Montgomery read a
amer entitled stEnrnnean EcEneSV