In all, 35; of these 27 are native, and 8 foreign. These are all, or
nearly all, the bodies which have assumed any formal organization. There
are, in addition, many isolated congregations of religious worshippers,
adopting various appellations, but none of them sufficiently numerous to
deserve the name of a sect.
Of course, the chief of these various denominations is the Church of
England. In the Handbook to Places of Worship, published in 1851, by
Low, there is a list of 371 churches and chapels in connexion with the
Establishment. Some of them have very small congregations, and every one
confesses it is a perfect farce to keep them open. In some of the city
churches, thirty persons form an unusually large audience. But most of
them are well attended. To these churches and chapels belong, in round
numbers, 700 clergymen. The appointments of ministers to the parish
churches are, in most cases, under the control of the vicars or rectors
of their respective parishes. In the case of private chapels, the party
to whom the property belongs has, of course, nominally the right of
appointing the minister; but, eventually, that appointment rests with the
congregation, for to thrust in an unpopular preacher against their wishes
would be to destroy his own property. For the parish churches, again,
the right of appointing the clergymen is vested in various hands
according to circumstances, which it would require too much time and
space to explain at sufficient length to make them understood. The
patronage is, in a great many cases, invested in the Crown; but the
Bishop of London is also a large holder of metropolitan patronage. The
Archbishop of Canterbury is patron in several cases, and, in some
instances, holds his patronage conjointly with the Crown. In such cases,
the right of appointment is exercised alternately. The Lord Chancellor
is sole patron of four or five livings in London, and in six or seven
other cases exercises the right of patronage alternately with the
Archbishop of Canterbury, with the Bishop of London, with private
individuals, and with the parishioners. The parishioners possess the
sole right of patronage in only three or four instances; and, in one or
two cases in the City, particular corporations possess the right of
appointing the clergy. The doctrines of the Church of England are
embodied in her Articles and Liturgy. Her orders consist of bishops,
priests, and deacons. Besides, there are dignitaries--archbishops, deans
and chapters, attached to cathedrals, and supposed to form the council of
the bishops, archdeacons, and rural deans. The average income of a
beneficed clergyman is 300 pounds a year; of a curate, 81 pounds. The
number of church-sittings in London and the surrounding districts,
according to Mr. Mann, is 409,834.
Next in order are the Independents or Congregationalists, who differ from
the Church of England more in discipline than doctrine. They maintain
the independence of each congregation--that a church is simply an
assembly of believers. Only two descriptions of church officers are
regarded by them as warranted by Scriptural authority--bishops or
pastors, and deacons; and the latter office with them is merely secular.
Amongst them the deacon merely attends to the temporal affairs of the
church. In the Episcopalian Church, the deaconship is the first step to
the priesthood. In London and its neighbourhood the Independents have
about 140 places of worship. Mr. Mann's return does not give them so
many, but he states the number of sittings to be 100,436.
The Baptists have much in common with the Independents. Like them, they
believe in the unscriptural character of state churches; and, like them,
believe each church or assembly of faithful men to be able to manage its
own affairs; but they differ from nearly every other Christian
denomination on two points--the proper _subjects_ and the proper _mode_
of _baptism_. According to them, _adults_ are the proper subjects of
baptism, and _immersion_, not sprinkling, is the proper mode of
administering that rite. As an organized community, we find them in
England in 1608, about thirty years after Robert Brown had begun to
preach the principles of Independency. The Baptists have many
subdivisions. The Particular Baptists preponderate: they are
Calvinistic. A remarkable unanimity of sentiment has always existed
among them, except on one particular point--the propriety of sitting down
at the communion table with those who reject adult baptism. Mr. Horace
Mann gives the general body 130 chapels; Mr. Low, 109. The Census
returns give them accommodation for 54,234.
The Methodists have, in all, 154 chapels in London, the larger number of
which belong to the Wesleyans, who are Arminians, who are governed by a
Conference, and whose ministers are itinerant. Mr. Mann tells us they
seldom preach in the same place more than one Sunday without a change,
which is effected according to a plan generally re-made every quarter.
London is divided into ten circuits. Then there are the Calvinistic
Methodists, who were originated by the labours of George Whitfield, aided
by that devoted Countess of Huntingdon whose name yet lives in connexion
with one of the most remarkable revivals of religion in our land. There
are several sub-divisions besides. The original Wesleyan body has
suffered much of late in consequence of the operations of the Wesleyan
Reformers. It is stated that, by this division, the connexion sustained
a loss of 100,000 members. In London, the Methodists, including, as in
the case of the Baptists, six or seven sub-divisions, have sittings for
69,696. Of the number of attendants it is calculated about 12,000 are
church members, or communicants. It may be as well to mention here,
that, with the exception of the Irvingites, and, of course, the Roman
Catholic Church, which only admits priests to the celebration of the
Lord's Supper, and of the Quakers, who do not profess to observe that
ceremony at all, there are two classes of persons attending all churches
and chapels--the common hearers, and the smaller class who profess to be
converted and regenerated men. In the Church of England the theory is,
every baptized man is this; and therefore every one has a right to
approach what is called the Table of the Lord. In the Church of
Scotland, we presume, it is the same. An anecdote, which was told by Mr.
J. Haldane, implies this:--that gentleman stated that once he was present
at a Highland parish church on a sacramental occasion, when there was a
pause, for none of the people seemed disposed to approach the tables; on
a sudden he heard the crack of sticks, and, looking round, saw one
descend on the bald head of a man behind him. It was the ruling elders
driving the poor Highlanders forward much in the same manner as they were
accustomed to pen their cattle. Among Dissenters only a certain class
are supposed to have this right--that class consisting of those who
profess to have become in their natures changed and sanctified to God,
who are considered to be 'a chosen generation--a peculiar priesthood!'
They are received into the church after, generally, a careful scrutiny as
to their motives and convictions and character, and, at any rate, amongst
Dissenters are generally considered as _the Church_, for whom a Saviour
died, and on whom he devolves the conversion of the world.
The remaining divisions of the church and chapel goers of London may now
be disposed of.
The Presbyterians have 23 chapels, some in connexion with the Church of
Scotland, and some not. The number of chapels thus connected is 5, and
the number of Scotchmen settled in London being about 130,000, it is more
than probable that Sawney is not the church-going animal abroad, he most
undoubtedly is when he is at home. It seems that the Scotch attending
Presbyterian churches in London, even if they occupy every sitting, are
not more than 18,211; and, if Sawney were not proverbially an economical
fellow, one would be inclined to hint that you will catch him taking a
cheap railway excursion on the very day in which, in his 'land of the
mountain and the flood,' it is deemed sinful to do more than walk from
one's home to the nearest kirk.
Next, as regards numbers, come the Unitarians, who have 9 chapels in
London, and about 3300 sittings.
By-the-bye, we ought to have mentioned before this the Roman Catholics,
who have 35 chapels, and of whom there were, on the Census Sunday, 35,994
worshipping at one time. In no case do the Census returns give us the
real attendance. We have merely the number of sittings, or attendants,
morning, afternoon, or evening. In the case of Roman Catholics, we have
given the number of persons attending in the morning, there being this
difference between them and other sects, that with the latter, the number
of sittings will be generally much greater than that of the attendants,
whereas with the Roman Catholics the reverse is the truth, as they get
more out of their chapels than any other denomination can.
It seems the mild, drab-coloured men, who call themselves Quakers, and
wear broad-brimmed hats and square collars, and say 'thee' and 'thou,' of
whom Belgravia knows but little, but who, nevertheless, are foremost when
some great good is to be done, and some outcast class is to be reclaimed
and saved, are but a feeble folk, as far as numbers are concerned. The
'youngest of the four surviving sects which trace their origin to that
prolific period which closed the era of the Reformation,' they promise to
be soonest extinguished. In 1800 they possessed 413 meeting-houses; in
1851 they had but 351. Mr. Low gives them 9 chapels; Mr. Mann but 4,
with sittings for 3151. This latter number, small as it is, appears to
be considerably more than is required for their services. The real
truth, probably, is, that Quaker worship is too calm and phlegmatic for
this bustling go-a-head age. In George Fox's time, men held communion
with the Invisible and Eternal--with Him who dwells in the light to which
no man can approach. There are but few who care to do so now, and
therefore is it that that race of practical philanthropists was far
larger in George Fox's time than ours. As to the other sects, it is
scarcely necessary that we do more than take a very hasty glance at them.
The Moravian Brethren, who date from 1772, with Count Zinzendorf at their
head (and who have no reason for their separate existence save the fact
that, when they appealed to the lot as to whether they should join the
Lutherans or not, the lot was against the junction), have 2 chapels and
1100 sittings.
The Jews have 11 synagogues and 3692 sittings.
The remaining congregations, with the exception of the Mormonites, who
have now 33 places of worship, are almost exclusively isolated.
There are 94 chapels that thus defy classification; nor can we be
surprised that such is the case. Our boast is, that every man is free to
worship God according to the dictates of his own heart--that religious
inquiry is unfettered amongst us--that every man who chooses may form a
sect for himself. The advantages of this state of things preponderate
over its disadvantages. The philosopher may despise, and the Christian
of a generous heart and catholic aspirations may regret, that such should
be the case--may think it better that men had wider views--better that we
should stand on a broader platform than a sectarian one: but we may not
quarrel with the conditions of religious existence. We must feel that
these sects and schisms denote religious life and thought--that their
absence would be death--and that, as the world grows and the truth
becomes clearer, they will, one by one, disappear.
'Thus star by star departs,
Till all have pass'd away;
And daylight high and higher shines,
Till pure and perfect day.
Nor sink those stars in empty night,
But hide themselves in heaven's own light.'
The 94 chapels we have referred to, belonging to the New Church, the
Brethren, the Irvingites, the Latter-Day Saints, Sandemanians, Lutherans,
French Protestants, Greeks, Germans, Italians, have accommodation for
18,833. Of course some of these people have but little reason to give
for the faith that is in them. Actually, in this age of intelligence--in
these days of cheap literature and cheap schools--there are men and women
so sunk in ignorance as to credit the absurd pretensions of Joanna
Southcote or Joe Smith; but these people we must include. We sit in
judgment on none; and thus we give the church and chapel goers, as
follows:
Church of England 409,834
Congregationalists 100,436
Baptists 54,234
Methodists 60,696
Presbyterians 18,211
Unitarians 3,300
Roman Catholics 18,230
Quakers 3,157
Moravians 1,100
Jews 3,692
Isolated Congregations 18,833
691,723
According to the last returns, we have the following population:
Finsbury, 323,772; Lambeth, 251,345; London (City), 127,869; Marylebone,
370,957; Southwark, 172,863; Tower Hamlets, 539,111; Westminster, 241,
611; and with other places not classified, in all, 2,362,236. If we
compare this with the figures I have given, we shall see that, if all the
accommodation that exists were used, rather more than a quarter of the
London population frequented public worship. In reality, the number is
less. Yet, perhaps, the returns show as much religious observance as we
could expect.
By way of contrast, let us see how the London world that is not religious
spends its Sabbaths. A very large and complicated organization would be
required to collect the statistics of the habits of the population of
London on a Sunday, but an attempt was made on August 16, of the present
year, to throw some light upon the subject by a few gentlemen accustomed
to observe and estimate large numbers of people. The outward
passenger-traffic by the railways during the morning appeared to be about
as follows:--
Great Western, by the 8 and 9 o'clock trains 1900
Ditto, by the afternoon trains 2400
South Western, by the two early excursion trains 2500
Ditto, parliamentary 2800
Ditto, afternoon train 5000
London and Brighton, with South-Eastern, North Kent, and
other lines at London-bridge:
By morning trains 10,500
Afternoon 6000
Great Northern:
Morning 1500
Afternoon 2000
Eastern Counties:
Morning 1800
Afternoon 4500
North Western:
Morning 1800
Afternoon 1000
The steam-boats above and below bridge were crowded, and the various
public gardens, &c, on the sides of the river, were also crowded. About
14,000 persons passed down the river, and about 6000 upwards, beyond the
ordinary river traffic. In Greenwich Park there were about 80,000
persons, and Gravesend and Woolwich were also crowded by visitors,
estimated at 10,000, including the patrons of Rosherville gardens, &c.
At 5 o'clock there were nearly 2000 persons in Cremorne Gardens, and at 8
o'clock fully four times that number. Hampton Court was scarcely as
crowded by visitors as on some previous days, but the numbers there and
the excursionists to Kew have been already estimated by the boat and
train. In the Regent's Park the numbers have not been counted at any
time during the summer, though some of the "penny-a-liners" have given
the exact number. There was an immense crowd listening to the people's
subscription band in the Regent's Park, and at a low estimate the numbers
considerably exceeded a hundred thousand. In the Victoria Park, where
another people's band played from five till seven o'clock, there were
about 60,000 persons present at one time. The aristocracy had a very
large number of carriages in the Hyde Park, and about 8000 entered
Kensington Gardens during the afternoon. From these estimates, intended
to be free from all exaggeration, it would appear that out of the
population of London, about one quarter of a million were engaged in what
has been characterized as the "public desecration of the Sabbath." If we
include servants, omnibus-drivers, cabmen, &c.--persons who follow on the
Sunday the usual avocations of the week, of course this number is
considerably increased.
It is cheering to think that the pulpit has advanced; and to feel, if it
have not its lights, such as Chalmers, or Irving, or Hall, it has become
almost freed from the buffooneries by which at one time it was disgraced.
''T is pitiful
To court a grin when you should win a soul;
To break a jest when pity should inspire
Pathetic exhortation; and to address
The skittish fancy with facetious tales
When sent with God's commission to the heart!'
Huntington, the S. S., or Sinner Saved, used to stop in the middle of his
sermons with exclamations such as--'There, take care of your pockets!'
'Wake that snoring sinner!' 'Silence that noisy numskull!' 'Turn out
that drunken dog!' Rowland Hill once preached as follows:
'The mere professor reminds me of a sow that I saw an hour since
luxuriating in her stye, when almost over head and ears in the mire.
Now suppose any of you were to take Bess (the sow), and wash her; and
suppose, after having dressed her in a silk gown and put a smart cap
upon her head, you were to take her into any of your parlours, and
were to set her down to tea in company: she might look very demure
for a time, and might not give even a single grunt; but you would
observe that she occasionally gave a sly look towards the door, which
showed that she felt herself in an uncomfortable position; and the
moment she perceived that the door was open, she would give you
another proof of the fact by running out of the room as fast as she
could. Follow the sow with her silk gown and her fancy cap, and in a
few seconds you will find that she has returned to the stye, and is
again wallowing in the mire. Just so it is with the unrenewed man.
Sin is his element.'
Could anything be weaker or in worse taste than that?
The pulpit has ceased to offend by any such exhibitions. The men in the
pews have advanced, and the men in the pulpit have had to do the same.
Men of science and of intellect and literature must have men of science
and of intellect and literature to preach to them. It is power the
ministry lacks. It fails because it is of the past--uses the language of
the past--prays the prayers of the past. Instead of seeking a revival in
the churches, it had better seek its own revival. We have some twelve
hundred clergy (Church and Dissent) in this great Babylon, and yet the
devoutest worshipper can scarce name a dozen as superior men. Yet
preaching is not the difficult thing ministers affirm. Literary men,
enterprising merchants, sharp attorneys, aspiring barristers, honourable
M.P.s, work infinitely harder, though professing infinitely inferior
aims. A popular actor certainly seeks no richer reward than a popular
parson; but the former will throw into his performance a life of which
the latter appears to have no idea. For the men who care not for the
manner but the matter, the pulpit has still less to offer. Where, then,
is the wonder that in London, where men are not driven to church or
chapel--where they do not lose caste because they do not observe the
required customs of respectable society--the mass are beyond the reach of
the preacher's voice, listening, it may be, to the sermons on our stones
and in our streets--the sermons the world's great ones and illustrious
leaders preach, when they worship railway kings, or erect statues to
royal debauchees? What wonder is it then that in life's busy scene the
still small voice of the pulpit grows weaker every hour?