The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-04-10
SUNDAYS SERVICES.
Preaching and Praying Filled the
Day in Many Churches
Ordinations.

Yesterdays doings In connection with
the Conferences opened with a love feast,
held at nine A. NJ, in the Centenary
Church. It was conducted by the Rev.
Nicnolas Wan SAINT, the first Elder of the
church, which he organized ia 1861. This
service was very largely attended. over
seventy-fiye persons making brief re-
marks and giving their experiences.
MetDodists were present from every point
under the jurisdiction of the Con-
ference, and participated in the
usual love least ceremony OF
breaking, aud ~partaking of bread
Among those to give testimony Was
Stephen B. Ransom, who Was one OF the
founders of Centenary Church. He told
how, more than twenty-five years ago,
less than thirty good Methodists mel at
his house OIL Fourth street and founded
Centenary Church. First. they worship
PED in a little hall, situated on the corner
of Fourth and Grove streets; at the end
of two years they were enabled to buy
The ground upon which the present.
church stands. A little later they We're
able to build what Is low the lecture
room, and about ten years after they
were enabled TO build the present church.
DEACOES ORDAINED.
The next service, at which the ordina
ton Of deacons took place, Wa at half
past ten O'Clock. AT ten O'Clock every
seat III the church was filled: at fifteen
minutes after ten the seats IN the gallery
aud the numerous ann chairs which
hac been placed throughout the church
were occupied. and by the time the ser
vice started there We're large numbers
standing. The service was opened by
singing of hymn No. &C, Come Let us
Tune Oar Loftiest Song" after which the
Rev. William Day offered prayer ut the
close Of which the whole congregation
joined in saying the Lord's Prayer. me
choir next saug Magnify His Name"
arranged by Gounod. This was fol-
lowed by the reading of the Scripture
lessons by cue Rev. 4. Van Beuschoten.
The first lesson was taken from Isaiah
lviii, and the second from st. Luke iv. "A.
the sanctuary offerings were next COZ
lected n the congregation sang hymn
Dove" after which Bishop James Filz-
gerald preached. His text was taken
from James i, n, tPure religion and un-
'defiled before God and the Father is this;
to visit the fatnerless and widows in their
affection aud to keep himself ~unspotled
from the world,
DEFINITION OF TERMS.
The Bishop first defined tue terms en-
ployed in the Text. Religion, he said,
was supposed TO come from We words
which mean again and | read. Thus in
the oiden. times, when they didn't have
printed Bibles, aud one manuscript copy
had 10 do Tor a large community. one
man, more learned THAI the rest, would
read the Scriptures again and again until
he had become thoroughly acquainted
with them. would then preach them
% the people less Fortunate than himself
who could not read. Another derivation
was that it came from two words mean
ing again and / bind. u that it
is so called on account OF the
bond of union that exists be-
tween ali true believers. The more
comprehensive meaning in the present
time is. any system or doctrine or prln-
ciples that has respect co b moral or
physical condition OF man. Thus we
speak of a doomed religion or a false re-
ligion; often Of the religion of the hea-
then. or of the Evangelical Christians,
and The term Is properly applied in all
these cases. He mex look Lne word pure
aud defined it. He said that we under
stand it TO De synonymous with perfect.
we understand it to be the highest n
best that can be attained. without any
defect aud genuine. He SAID that u thing
could be genulne but not without de-
feet, another without defect but not
genuine, aud a third could be both
genuine and without defect. Il Is the
third kind That we understand the reii-
gions OF the text to be. II you should put