RELIGIOUS | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 6, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 18.

RELIGIOUS.

—Rev. M. J. Jeffreys, of Missouri, was in San Francisco last week, en route to China as an independent missionary.

—A press correspondent at Buenos Ayres says that the Catholic archbishop has signed a petition for the repeal of the law authorizing civil marriages.

—Rev. A. J. Nelson, a prominent Methodist minister of several years' experience on the Pacific Coast, has changed his field of labor to the Arkansas Conference, and has been assigned to a pastorate in Fort Smith.

—On the occasion of the jubilee of Pope Leo XIII., last week, Queen Victoria sent the following telegram: "I congratulate you on completing fifty years of your episcopate, and sincerely wish you health and happiness."

—Rev. Dr. Lewis, Seventh-day Baptist, appeared before the Judiciary Committee of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the 16th inst., at a hearing concerning the State Sunday law. He made a strong speech, urging that "the law is unconstitutional religious legislation."

—An organized effort is being made in India to revive and extensively propagate the Buddhist religion. They will endeavor to imitate throughout the world the missionary work of the Christians. The time is ripe. Popular Christianity has become Babelized to such an extent that it is open to almost any delusion.

—A Baptist Church of this city recently secured the services of two noted humorists to raise funds for Sunday school purposes. When the popular church appeals to the world's clowns for aid to carry on its work, it may well be proclaimed that "Babylon is fallen." The entertainment was given in the Mills Tabernacle, which is deemed too sacred for a theatrical performance, or even for a temperance lecture on a Sunday night; but the performance on this occasion was no better than the veriest farce in a variety theater, the difference being that it was for a Sunday school benefit.

—There is a general impression that ministers are a well-paid class. This is only true in the cities and then only in the large churches. It is indeed strange how some ministers can selfishly accept $3,000, $5,000, $10,000, or more, per year, while many of their own denomination, doing perhaps harder work, have not enough to live on comfortably. This thought is suggested by the statement of the Baptist Home Missionary Secretary of California, that a missionary in the employ of the Board is "suffering for food and fuel." And this because other ministers in comfortable quarters have neglected to take up the missionary collections. When the church was led by the Holy Spirit, it was written of them, "They had all things common."