The times., 1898-09-30
SERMONS THAT ARE CRUDE.
Bishop Potter Condemns Extemp0-
raneOuA Addresses.

New York, Sept. 29-The Protestant
Episcopal convention of the diocese of
New York, presided over by Bishop Hen
ry c. Potter. began its ll5th annual ses-
sion at 10 O'Clock yesterday morning in
Grace Church Chapel, in East Fourteenth
Street, near First Avenue. This conven-
ton, which will be concluded today is
said to be important from the fact that
1t convenes just one week before the
general convention, which is scheduled to
open October next. in the Church Of
the Epiphany in Washington.
To this general Convention the body
now in session in this city will send a
representation of eight delegates, to be
chosen before the close of the proceed
ings. 1t is the consensus of opinion
among the clerical and lay delegates, OF
which there are in all about 20o that with
one exception the delegates who were
chosen at the last diocesan convention
will again be selected. They are the Rev.
Dr. Morgan Dix, the Rev. E. A Hoffman,
the Rev. w. r. Huntington, the Rev. Da-
vid III. Greer and ]. Pierpont Morgan,
William Bayard Cutting and Francis l..
Stetson. The exception referred to is
After reading long list of names of
candidates for ordination in the church.
Bishop Potter. in his annual address TO
the convention, spoke of what he termed
the practice of some expounders of the
Gospel within the fold of the denomina-
tion. delivering what he characterized as
''extemporaneous sermons"
He said he had listened to many such
sermons recently in churches under his
pastoral care. They were often vulgar
and ungrammatical. he said chargingly.
at the same time intimating the propriety
of departing in the future from that
method of delivering sermons. An earn
est entreaty was made by the bishop to
those present. especially those new in the
ministry. to carefully prepare their ser
mons, at the same time throwing out the
intimation that clergymen who will not
conform to the church ritual will be
treated and dealt with as law breakers.
He also spoke of the littieness in help
that is now being given TO pastors In
Sunday school work. as well as in visiting
the hospitals and the sick.
Special stress was laid by the speaker
on the necessity, he said, for safeguard
ing the church funds. Another subject
dealt with in the address of the Bishop
was the proposed peace conference of the
ing of the six great powers In closing.
the speaker expressed the hope that the
convention would not separate without
chronicling It's hearty approval of the
Cars peace conference.
AT the close of his address Bishop Pot
ter gave communion to the clerical dele
gates.
The afternoon session. apart from rou-
tine business, was almost entirely devoted
to the hearing OF committee reports. The
report of the New York Protestant Epis-
copal City Mission Society showed total
In receipts for the year ending September
Is. instant, of 5o,17s.54, thus fulfilling the
proverb. II was said. that for web be-
gun God sends thread
In addition to the above figures IL was
stated that the society has been richly
favored in the form OF legacies from the
estates OF Charles II. Contoit. Miss Ed
son and Miss Caroline Talman-
A large proportion of the delegates as
sembled last night In the Church of the
Ascension. at Fifth Avenue and Tenth
Street, where a public meeting of the con-
vention was held for the purpose of dis
cussing missionary work, and the pres
ent responsibility of the church,
The Right Rev. John McKim, bishop o.
| Toxic, Japan, told of the decay of Budd
hism in Japan. and traced the history o
| christianizing in that country within the
| last 300 years. Japan, he said, has today
| a Christian population of nearly 200, ,09
persons.