p. 14 | News and Notes by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 1, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 13.

News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—The largest Baptist church in the world is that of Ongole, in the Telugu mission. It has now 14,632 members.

—Says the Methodist Recorder: "The world needs nothing to-day so much as the plain, pointed, practical preaching of the gospel." True.

—On the evening of the 20th, about twenty missionaries sailed on the Inman steamer, City of Chester, to join Bishop Taylor of the M. E. Church in Africa.

—The receipts of the American Bible Society for February were $35,464.33. The total issues from the Bible House during the same month were 60,446 volumes.

—Two ways of looking at the same thing: "The Presbyterian Church gave over $100,000 to missions during January." A grand sum, indeed. But there are over 600,000 members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States alone; so that allowing that the item is limited to the United States, the average donation per member was about seventeen cents. Not a very heavy gift, after all. Yet there were doubtless some who, out of their poverty, gave abundantly.

—Another sensational revivalist is on the coast. So funny are his sermons, that although he modestly makes an earnest request that there be no applause, he is reported as frequently "bringing down the house." Fancy Peter on the day of Pentecost, or Paul at Ephesus, making a bid for applause by requesting the people not to cheer at their jokes! The work of saving sinners is getting to be quite an amusing affair. Revivals are becoming so popular that other places of amusement may soon begin to pull on the public taste.

—A graphic description of a wedding supper at the house of a Protestant prelate, which recently took place, forms very suggestive reading. "The menu," we are told, "included rare wines;" and the day, which began with "early communion in the beautiful little chapel of Tulford Hall," ended with "a carpet dance, for which the long drawing-room was cleared." Well, this is certainly very liberal, but beginning with the holy communion and ending with a carpet dance does look like a mixing of things somewhat incongruous.—Christian at Work.

—An Oakland pastor who is nothing if not sensational, has announced a series of Sunday evening sermons on "The Heavenly Railway," as follows: The Narrow Gauge; The Broad Gauge; Passenger Rates; Heavy Grade; Head Lights; Signals; Side Tracks; Train Dispatches; On Time; Short Curves; A Sad Wreck; The Wrecking Train. Strange that a "Heavenly Railway" should terminate in "a sad wreck;" but we suppose that it is with the subject of a sensational sermon as with the text; neither need have any logical connection with what follows.

—To the following from the Herald of Truth (Baptist) we give a hearty assent: "This half believing is undermining all the foundations of religion. Firm belief and taking God at his word is our only safety. It is not the infidels who are doing so much mischief at the present time, but it is the half-believing professors of Christianity, and those who wear two faces,—one in the church, and the other in their dealings with the world. If Christianity does not make people better, it is evident that they have not enough of it. If we would teach others the way to Heaven, let us walk in that way ourselves. We need more 'weeks of practice' as well as prayer."