CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3, 3 January 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

The Methodist. Episcopal CJhurch, America, has recently 'received the sum 0* £ 12,000 indemnity from the Chinese Government for mission property destroyed by the Boxers.

The Eev H. H. and Mrs Nolan, of the Methodist Mission staff, Fiji, have arrived in Sydney/On a short furlough.

Dr Temple, the late Archbishop of Canterbury, replying to a correspondent, about the end of October, said that "he does not think anything would be gained by establishing a special order of priests authorised to hear confessions."

The General Committee of the Primitive Methodist Church, England, "has recently considered a communication from the United Methodist Free Ghurch Assembly, .suggesting steps to promote Methodist co-opera-tion, if not organic union."

The Eev Archibald Hunt, of the Ldndon Missionary Society, late of New Guinea, who is on his way to Timaru, New Zealand, to undertake the pastorate of the Congregational Church there, left Sydney by the steamer Victoria on December 27. "One of the most deplorable features of the Homeward movement in our Church," says the "Australian Churchman," "is/the increasing practice of auricular confession. Father Black tells us that 1215 clergy now hear confessions. In St Bartholomew's, Brighton, 10,000 confessions were heard in one year." Professor Cooper, in his opening lecture at Glasgow University a few weeks ago, stated that the committee of the General Assembly of the Established Church of Scotland had purchased two houses in the neighbourhood of Gilmorehill, to be used as residences for students of divinity. The Presbyterian Assembly of South Africa decided recently to erect a new Presbyterian church or cathedral in Pretoria, at a cost of £15,000, as a memorial t>o Scottish soldiers who fell during the war, There was also a proposal to build a second Memorial Church at Capetown, but this fell through.

The King rarely fails to join in the singing of the hymns at services which he attends, and His Majesty's distinct pronunciation of the words is very noticeable, remarks a London contemporary.

The Eight Eev C. H. Bromby, D.D., who was the second Anglican Bishop of Tasmania (1864-1883), Is still living in England, and thougn 89 years of age, preached in a church at Bristol a few weeks ago.

There was a large gathering of medical men and a few lady doctors at the annual service which was held in St Paul's Cathedral, London, the last week in October, under the auspices of the Guild of St Luke.

The Bishop of New Guinea is endeavouring to form a Clergy Sustentation and Endowment Fund, and has obtained the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge a promise to give £25 for every £175 Taised in the Commonwealth. The bishop has also decided that all legacies received shall be placed to the credit of the fund.

The power of small donations is illustrated iby -the shilling collection initiated by the Blsnop of Newcastle, New South Wales, a short time ago, in aid of the new cathedral. Dr Stanton hoped to obtain 20,000 shillings, but actually received 100 in advance of that number. These were presented at the recent opening ceremony, each parish clergyman presenting in turn the offering of his parishoners.

The "Australian 'Churchman" regrets to learn that by the last returns of the number of tne ritualistic clergy in England, there is no abatement in the spread of extreme sacerdotolism, and that the number of the "openly lawless" is on the. increase. "There are no less than 9600 clergymen who are pronounced Eitualists," and the "number of those who offer daily mass" is at present 674.

The Evangelical Alliance, London, has issued its invitation to the churches to hold a "World-wide Week of United Prayer" from Sunday, January 4, to Sunday, January 11, inclusive. This.annual week of prayer was organised by the Alliance in 1846. The programme contains the topic for each day, the portions of Scripture to be read, and makes suggestions respecting the sermons on the Sundays.

It is announced; that the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Saumarez Smith, contemplates a short visit to England early in 1903. He will leave about the end of January, and during his absence Archdeacon Gunther, the Vicar-General, will take charge of the diocese.

The text of Pope Leo*s latest Encyclical to promote the study of Scriptures declares that in view of the complexity of modern studies and the manifold errors which prevail, it has become impossible for individual interpreters of the holy books to explain and defend them as the needs of the hour require, and it has "become necessary that their common studies should" receive assistance and direction under the auspices and guidance of the Apostolic See." To this end, the encyclical says, the Pontiff hna established a commission of serious men, "whose duty it will be.to devote their entire energy to insure that the divine words may receive the explanation demanded of them by the times."

John Alexander Dowie, the ScotoYankee "spirit of Elijah the Prophet," has a summer residence on the shores of Lake Michigan that he calls Ben Afacdhui; and an inquirer into the meanings of names has discovered tha* "Ben Macdhuf" means literally "the Mountain of the Black Row." Does tiiis not, he asks, savour strongly of Gadara and Porkopolis. And yet, as he points out, Dowie is at all times very hard on the Gadarene swine, and pigs in general he never ceases to denounce as unclean even in Chicago, where they alone have heen the making , of the place. Dowie is at present doing alt he can to mis*, the wind. He owes 149.000 dollars, anfl. being unable to pay np, he in pleading for monr.y "in sums of five dollars and upwards." He values Mf> awuets at over 23 million dollars, yet the other day he was unable to pay a bill of 31 dollars, and his agent asked a week's delay so that he misrht be able to raise the money. Obviously the prophet is not without his worries-