58 



BAPTISTS. 



III. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS. This body 

 numbers 7,014 members, 33 pastors, and 68 

 churches. By the minutes of the General Con- 

 ference, held in September, at Alfred, N". Y., it 

 appears that the churches are most numerous 

 in New York and Wisconsin. The report of 

 the Missionary Society shows contributions to 

 the amount of $2,302.42 during the past year, 

 and an accumulating fund amounting to $7,- 

 268.74 in the treasury. The missionary work 

 is chiefly carried on in our own country, though 

 the report contains a reference to foreign mis- 

 sionary work prosecuted with some degree of 

 success in China, at Shanghai, and neighbor- 

 ing stations. This denomination maintains also 

 a Sabbath Tract Society, and an Educational 

 Society, under whose care the university at Al- 

 fred, in New York, is maintained. 



IV. TTJNKEES (German Baptists). This de- 

 nomination, which has 200 churches, 150 min- 

 isters, and 20,000 members, held its annual 

 meeting from May 18th to May 24th, near 

 WaynesborD, Pa. The meeting was composed 

 of delegates from all their churches scattered 

 throughout the United States. A correspon- 

 dent in the German Reformed Messenger says 

 of the meeting: "The business transactions 

 consisted in rendering decisions on the prac- 

 tical questions that the times and circum- 

 stances constrained them to consider. One 



question was, whether it \\ as right to adopt 

 the habit of voting, in order to arrive at the 

 sense of the majority, and thus come to a deci- 

 sion on any subject. The question was an- 

 swered in the negative, inasmuch as voting was 

 a custom that belongs to the world. The man- 

 ner in which they come to-decisions is some- 

 thing like this : A committee of fifteen is ap- 

 pointed, to whom all questions must be previ- 

 ously handed. This committee then refers each 

 question to a sub-committee, which sub-com- 

 mittee frames a decision to the particular ques- 

 tion referred to them ; being approved by the 

 committee, both question and answer are then 

 presented to the assembly through the president 

 thereof, who at the same time asks their opin- 

 ion. Their approval is manifested by nodding, 

 their disapproval by shaking the head. When 

 any signs of disapproval are manifested, dis- 

 cussion ensues ; but yet the answer previously 

 given stands, and the president pronounces it 

 passed. Some of the questions thus decided at 

 this meeting are the following : ' Shall we re- 

 ceive colored persons into the church, and shall 

 we salute them with the holy kiss?' It was 

 decided that they should be received into the 

 church, but that all the members were to be 

 left to their own choice and taste in regard to 

 saluting their colored brethren, with the un- 

 derstanding, however, that all who refuse to do 

 so were to be regarded as weak. One of their 

 members out West leased a piece of ground to 

 an agricultural society for a number of years. 

 Was it right for him to do so ? The answer was, 

 ' No ! as he thereby helps to foster the spirit 

 of pride.' " 



V. Other denominations that practise im- 

 mersion are the " Anti-Mission Baptists," " Six- 

 Principles Baptists" (18 churches, 16 ministers, 

 3,000 members) ; "Disciples" (1,500 churches, 

 1,000 ministers, 30,000 members) ; " Church 

 of God " (Winnebrennarians). (See CHURCH OP 

 GOD.) 



VI. GREAT BRITAIX. In Great Britain, the 

 annual session of the Baptist Union was held on 

 Monday, April 23d. The report stated that the 

 labors of the Union had been proceeded with dur- 

 ing the past year with encouraging, if not entire, 

 satisfaction. By slow degrees a tolerably exact 

 account of the members of the Baptist churches 

 was obtained. Last year 1,893 churches report- 

 ed 198,295 members in communion. This year 

 2,023 churches had made returns, and reported 

 in all 209,773 members, being an excess over 

 last year of 11,478. This was not to be con- 

 sidered as so much clear gain, as 130 churches 

 had now reported for the first time ; and as 

 these 130 churches returned a membership of 

 6,505, the actual increase, as near as it could 

 be reached, was 4,973, a number under the 

 mark, as 400 churches, but mostly very small 

 ones, still remain altogether unreported. Be- 

 tween October, 1864, and October, 1865, fifty- 

 six new chapels were erected, supplying sit- 

 tings for about 25,000 persons, at an aggregate 

 cost of 88,787, making a total expenditure of 



