Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1883 — The Churches. [ARTICLE]

The Churches.

At the Christian church Elder Halstead continued, for the present week, his series of doctrinal discourses. The venerable Father Havens preached at the M. E. church Monday evening. The Rev. Peter Hinds and Bro. Claypool following with short exhortations. The Free Will Baptist Society has purchased a lot of Gen. J* C. Van Rensselaer, the corner opposite and east of the new school lot, and propose erecting a house of worship the present year. One of the most prominent and reliable citizens of the town, and an oldiesident, states that a greater interest is now taken in religious matters in Rensselaer, than at any time for twenty years. The Free Will Baptist people still continue their series of meetings at the' Presbyterian church. At the last account we have received, eleven accessions had been made to the church, and the interest showed no signs of abatement. Note to the above:—A special service was held at the church today (Thursday) after which the ordinance of baptism was administered to 3 persons. The meeting of this evening will close the services. Owing to the exhausted physical condition of the pastor, there was %io preaching at the M. E., church last Sabbath, and an “experience meeting’, was held in place of the regular services. Some forty of thfi brethren bore earnest testimony of the Master’s love. The Free Will Baptist Sunday School enjoyed a sleigh ride to the farm of H. C. on Saturday last. There were over fifty in the merry party, and they enjoyed the ride and the cordial reception and treat extended by Mr; Bruce and family.

“I understand,” said a Delphi minister upon arising to address his congregation, “that some of my members complain about the length of my sermons. I notice, however, that the collections are remarkably short, and between the pulpit and the pew I think we strike a pretty good average.”—“Exchange.” The pastor and people of the M. E., church entered upon the fifth week of their series of meetings last Tuesday evening. The accessions to the church, up to Tuesday evening, number twenty, and the number is being increased, almost nightly. One or two features of these meetings are deserving of more than a passing notice. They are characterized by an intense and earnest zeal on the part of minister and members, but, at the same time, are. remarkably free from everything that looks like unnatural excitement. Those who have entered the church during the meetings are a’l, or nearly all, people of adult age and of mature judgment and understanding. What they have done has been done, as we believe, deliberately and with due reflection, and with a fixed determination to persevere. It may be added that Mr. Claypool is in expectation of ministerial assistance in the meetings of next week.

The Disciples of Christ are gaged just now in a spirited but friendly controversy as to the proper scriptural name of the church. While they have always ngreed to call themselves, as individuals, either “Disciples” or “Christians,” and as a religious denomination “Disciples of Christ,” yet there is a very serious lack of .uniformity iu designating their churches. As a religious body they have always opposed denominationalism and denominational names, and yet ; they very generally realize the inconvenience, both to themselves and others, of a failure to wt?ar one ceureh name in all parts of the land, as other religious bodies do 1 It is, therefore, probable that they* j will adopt the oulv name by which they have ever designated themselves to any considerable extent, which is not already adopted aud worn by some other religious body, I namely, the “Church of Christ,”, while still speaking of themselves! as the “Disciples of Christ. ’ They; claim to number between 6,000 and [ 7,000 communicants in the United .States, besides large numbers iu! Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Jarnaca and other parts of tne, worhi. —“BhiLd ’lphi.i Press.” t

The “District Reporter” is the name of a. neat little four page monthly paper, published at Battle Ground, and devoted to the interests of the M. E* Church, in the Lafayette District. Its editor is none other than that well known and honored son of Rensselaer, The Rev. J. H. Cissel D. D. Those who have an interest in the affairs of the M. E. Church, in this district, and wish to keep themselves thoroughly posted as to the same, can not do better than to send 50 cents to the Elder, at Battle Ground, and receive, in return, the Reporter for one year. The people of Lafayette have, undoubtedly, a due appreciation for, and a just pride in, their big new smut factory, otherwise the Gougar-Mandler slander suit, and the papers of that town are working it for all there is in it. Between the interminable wranglings of the lawyers, and the vast number of witnesses who have been subpenaed, there is every prospect that the trial will last for many days yet. Under the rulings of thd court Mandler’s lawyers are permitted to introduce any evidence tending to establish a generally unchaste character on the part of the plaintiff. For the sake of the causes with which Mrs. Gongar is identified, we have earnestly hoped that she would be able to prove, beyond question, the justice of her case, but we must admit, that so far as thecase has gone, the evidence against her is damaging in the extreme.