The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-21
OFFER PRAYERS
BEHALF OF CHINA
AnAppeaI Sent Out to All Christian
People.
THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION
c;s;on Is one OF
Question Of the Revision Is One OF
Great Interest III Presbyterian
Circles-ReH. ious News
and Gossip.

An appeal for prayer in behalf OF CHINA
has been sent to all ministers and Chrls
tan congregations in the United states states
and Canada It is signed by ule JONI oiiie
committee of all missionary societies Ia
the countries named having work In chi
ma, the committee consisting OF the rev.
r. P. Mackay, of the Presbyterian Churcl
IN Canada; the Rev. Dr.. Judson smith,. Oh
the Congregational Board, Boston, ana the
Rev DR.. Thomas S. Barbour, the junior
secretary Of the Baptist Missionary Oiioti'
The appeal suggests the holding or meet
lngs during the week beginning OctCspei
2Sl1, and urges all minister's TO preaoh d
least one sermon on China. The beiet IS
also expressed that offerings should be
made at this time for the rebuilding OF de-
stroyed work. The appeal has gone out
from every religious body in the Protest
ant world, and reports from 1t show that
the period suggested will be very generaiiy
observed. Among other things, the appear
says:
THE success and evidences of Gods
workings in this CLOSING century have been
phenomenal In CHR / fifty years ago
there We're only six Protestant Christians.
At the beginning of 1900 there were 100000
members of churches, and scores OF thou-
sands who accepted the Christian 1altn,
although they had not identified them
selves with the Christian Church. IhcSe
VINO are most competent TO judge are
| agreed that this uprising is anu-foreign
rather than anti-missionary We are not
witnessing a mere outourst OF popuidi
feeling, but a systematic effort of those in
authority to drive the foreigner, as such,
INTO the sea. AS soon as the Powers es-
tablish relations with the Chinese Govern
ment the missionaries will be welcomed
back again by the thousands who nave al
ready benefited by their residence among
them
..T,he prosecutions occurring at the close
Of this missionary century in Armenia and
China are, according to the lessons OF the
! Churc,l's history, premonitions of better
things It is our privilege as Christians
| to rse higher than mere recrilnination
| about foreign aggression, and be able &c
| assert that God rules and makes mans
! wrath TO praise Him. When the story OF
! the late persecution is fully told there
| will come cut instances OF seit-sacrihce
| and personal herosm fully equal to any
| thing the world has yet seen. Inc nlne-
teenth century does not fall behind the
| first in the numbers who have counted
not their own lives, if only the Christ mish;
be sloflfied These last chapters OF the
| Acts of the Apostles Will be no less thrill
| Ing than the chapters that have preceded
| them"
WESTMINSTER CONFESSION.
| Forecasts of the voting Of the presby-
+! teries upon the question of a revision OF
| the Westminster confession Of faith tina
! are made by the most conservative leaders
| give the following figures: Out OF the tWt
hundred and iLlrry-two presbyteries with
f, in the Presbyterian Church North, the
number to oppose any chanSe IN tile STATE
! ment of dostrinal belief viii be about sew
| enty-possbly seventy-tive. Those who ash
| s. revision OF the old confession Will ruI
! forty to forty-tive, and those who ask fol
| n new and shorter creed Will run from one
| hundred and fifteen UP to g. possible ons
| hundred and twenty-five. AS has been said
| This is an estimate made by one OF Inc
| most conservative leaders in the whole
| church Such q showing Will bring the mat
| ,er before the next General Assembly
| but a change cannot be effected before
| 1862, granting that the majority can agree
| on anything. which the conservatives thlnt
| TO be unlikely.
The Board of Managers of the Protes
| tant Episcopal missions has been com
| pelled by popular clamor to rescind it
| action in cutting off appropriations Il
| mission work within organized dioceseS
| Some months since the board in ques
j ton voted TO reduce appropriations to do
| cest>s named twenty per cent. year TO
| FIVE wears This action affected almos
| all dioceses, save the missionary one
! like Montana, Arizona, Alaska and NeV
| Mexico: The amount cut OFF was S12,
| Goa a wear, exclusive of money given 70
] work among colored people and Indians
| The argument of the managers was tina
| the prosperous dioceses-Ohio Iowa, Ten
| nessee, California, and even Chicago