RELIGIOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 762, 8 October 1886, Page 6

RELIGIOUS.

The summary of statistics of the U.S. Presbyterian Church shows 9 synods, 60 presbyteries, 736 ministers, 51 licentiates, a decrease of 7SBI congregations, 91.056 members, an increase of 1215, and 887 Sunday schools with S 1,595 scholars. The contributions were : For ministers’ salaries, 488,926 dols ; for congregational purposes, 276,406 dols; for the boards, 145,166d01s ; for general purposes, £49,309d015. The growth of the Presbyterian Church west of the Mississippi river, since the reunion in 1870, is estimated at from 367 to 1123 ministers, and from 29,146 to 79,667 members. The Jewish Infant Asylum at Venice, built to celebrate the centenary of Sir Moses Montefiore, has just been consecrated, many local celebrities, Jewish and Christian, being present. The religious census of Wesleyan Methodism for 1886 has besn published in the Methodist Times of London, and shows decrease of 698 members.. There were 137 candidates for the ministry. Whole number of members 412,414.

Archdeacon Farrar made a specoh at a Presbyterian gathering in London lately. *I am a sincere and convinced Episcopalian,’ he said ; ‘ you are sincere and convinced Presbyterians. For my part, I do not- believe that either the Episcopal or the Presbyterian organisation is essential to a church.’

There are 3424 languages and dialects in the world, viz., 937 Asiatic, 587 European, 276 African, and 1624 American, while the Scriptures may be purchased in 91 languages, of which 37 have entire Bibles, 34 complete New Testaments ; while the remaining 20 consist of one or more books of the Old or New Testaments.

Rev. E. D. Jones, who has spent ten years in China, as a missionary, preached a sermon to a congregation of 200 Chinamen in New York recently, addressing them in their native tongue. At the opening of the service he attempted to repeat the Lord’s Prayer in English, but broke down because he had been speaking Chiuese so- long he could not remember the words.

A religious movement is creating much excitement in Southern Russia. The ‘ Stundists,’ who are members of a Lutheran body, now call themselves Evangelical Christians, and are making surprising progress among the peasant class. In many villages the orthodox churches remain empty, while the meeting houses of the Evangelical Christians are crowded. Dissent continues to multiply in Russia in spite of every kind of persecution. In a late biography of John Bunyan it is stated as an undeniable fact that three of Bunyan’s children were baptised in infancy. The last record is in 1672, and as found on the rolls of St. Cuthbert’s Church is as follows : ‘ Baptised Joseph Bunyan, ye son of John Bunyan, November 16.’ Furthermore, the church at Bunyan Meeting was never a Baptist church iu any sense ; of the word. Bunyan himself, it is evident, was an open communion Baptist.