supported by the decisions of several of the Protestant churches. The Lutheran, Swiss, French, Dutch, and Scotch churches, the church of the Vaudois, and a large and pious section of the American churches, were all on his side. While in favour of Episcopacy, besides the church of Rome, "the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus,' Rev. xvii, 5, 6, and the Eastern churches, which are nearly as corrupt, he found only the Church of England, and three or four small sections of the church of Christ elsewhere, who had retained Diocesan Episcopacy. Under these circumstances, am I to separate from him? Not to have examined the Scripture doctrines would have been sin. Not to have followed the convictions of duty, to which the examination led him, would have been sin. In fidelity to Christ, he was obliged to act as he did; and if I separate from him, I do it only because he did his duty.”—Speaking of such Dissenters, he says:

"Their present conduct is determined by a religious regard to the will of God, and can only be altered by showing them from Scripture, that it is not agreeable to his will. They as much believe us to be in error, as they think themselves right. An intolerant, imperious, and unbrotherly course, which, utterly contrary as it is to the spirit of the Gospel, is yet dignified with the name of Churchmanship, is of all things the most calculated to exasperate dissension and to perpetuate error. From this a sectarian, jealous, and uncandid temper grows on all sides. Arguments and declamation abound, not for 'the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood,' but for our church;' not for the diffusing of the saving name of Christ to the ends of the earth, but for 'the Dissenting canse,' or for our venerable Establishment,' that is, our venerable selves. To deny, against the evidence of Scripture, those to be his children who are really so, is to be guilty of the sin of schism. If a Dissenter bears all the foregoing marks of a child of God, and I, overlooking them all, pronounce him to be no member of Christ, because he is no Episcopalian, I am, in the sight of God, a schismatic; I introduce an unscriptural test of Christian character, and am responsible

for all the division and heart-burning in the church of God, which must follow from my bigotry.

"Lastly, let us pray for all our brethren, for their prosperity, temporal and spiritual, for themselves, their families, their churches, and their missions. Their grace will be our gain. The more every part of the church of Christ manifests his spirit, the more truth will triumph, the more Christians will be united. Rejoice in the grace of God wherever you may witness it, and pray that the Holy Spirit may speedily render the whole church of God resplendent in every laud with wisdom, holiness, and love; which may God of his infinite mercy grant, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Evangelical churchmen have ever manifested a disposition, as far as their canonical restrictions would allow, to promote, both at home and abroad, the pure principles of Christianity. Many of them have broken through their trammels, diligently labouring with Dissenters in the Bible Society, the Tract Society, and several other institutions: but they support some peculiarly their own; and in these they are aided by many of the more moderate high churchmen. The following are their principal institutions:—

Church Missionary Society, founded in 1800.

London Society for the Conversion of the Jews, 1809.
Prayer Book and Homily Society, 1812.

CHAPTER II.

DISSENTERS FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Christianity and liberty advance - Acts of Parliament favouring Dissenters - Statistics of Dissenters - Episcopal and Dissenting places of worship compared - Comparative attendance at both - Cost of Dissenting chapels Influence and liberality of the two bodies compared, as to efforts for evangelizing the world.

CHRISTIANITY and the principles of liberty have continued to advance during the nineteenth century, with the progress of knowledge and the circulation of the Scriptures. Various legislative measures have, therefore, been adopted for the

In

relief of Dissenters from the established hierarchy. creasing in numbers and influence, the following Acts of Parliament have passed, chiefly through their persevering efforts, by which great advantages have been conferred on all classes of the United Kingdom. The New Toleration Act, in 1812, securing protection to "religious worship and assemblies, and persons teaching or preaching therein;" the tolerant provisions in the Charter to the East India Company, July 21, 1813, in answer to 908 petitions, presented to parliament from the Independents, Baptists, and Presbyterians, the General Body of Three Denominations, and the Dissenting Deputies, praying for a clause securing protection to Christian Missionaries in India; the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, May 9, 1828; the Catholic Relief Bill, April 13, 1829; the Reform Bills, for England, June 7, 1832; for Scotland, July 17, 1832; and for Ireland, August 7, 1832; the Act for abolishing Colonial Slavery, August 28, 1833; the Municipal Corporation Reform Bill, September 9, 1835; the National Registration Act for Births, Marriages, and Burials, August 17, 1836, to commence March 1, 1837; and the Act enabling Dissenters to marry, August 17, 1836, to commence July 1, 1837.

Dissenters require, however, to be contemplated in a threefold point of view, for any one to gain a correct idea of their number, character, and influence : it will be necessary, therefore, to survey their Statistics, their General Character, and their Colleges of Learning, previously to the review of them in distinct religious communities.

Section I. Statistics of Dissenters in England and Wales. Statistical Tables, from the most authentic sources, have, for many years, been published by the learned and indefatigable editors of the Congregational Magazine; and from that respectable journal, for January 1836, we give the following statements respecting Dissenters :

"The total number of congregations separate from the Established Church at the present time stands thus:

"Now it appears from the best authorities, that the number of Episcopalian churches and chapels in England is 11,825, giving to the established denomination 3,411 more places of worship than are possessed by all the other denominations united. It doubtless has a very imposing sound to talk of 11,825 but more than half of them are not equal to our Home Missionary stations in the number of their worshippers.

"The following summary of the parishes and townships of England, we extract from the Report of his Majesty's Commissioners on the Poor Laws.

"Parishes, &c. with a population

From 2 to 10 souls

From 10 to 20

From 20 to 50

From 50 to 100.....

54

145

511

From 100 to 300

"Thus it appears, that there are 6,308 parishes in England alone, that have only an average population of 120 souls each. Now it must be remembered, that about three-tenths of that number are children under ten years of age, and other twotenths are made up of sick and aged; it is therefore obvious, that if we assume that all the villagers are disposed to go to church, there will not be an average of more than sixty persons who can attend public worship in each of these parish churches. We therefore are disposed to believe, that were all the seo

tions of the Nonconformist body in England to return all the places used by them exclusively as places of worship, they would find that the gross number, both of places and attendants, would approximate very near to, if not actually exceed, that of the Established church."

Estimating the average cost of the 8,000 chapels at 1,000. each, the whole amount thus expended will be 8,000,000l. sterling; and reckoning the salaries of their ministers at 110%. per annum, which is believed to be much under the amount, and yet is 307. higher than the average of the curates of the Established church, and allowing 167. each for repairs and the ordinary expenses of worship, which also is supposed to be too low, their annual contributions for public worship alone, will amount to more than a million sterling!"

Dissenting statistics may be further understood, so far as regards their numerical strength and active zeal, from other considerations. Nearly twenty seminaries, or sinall colleges, in which are about 250 students for the Christian ministry, are supported at an annual expense of about 25,000l.

Comparing the Conformists with the Nonconformists, with respect to zeal and liberality, the Congregational Magazine says: "But as the members of the Episcopal church have not to bear the expenses of their own worship at home, it may be supposed that they do more for the extension of Christianity in foreign parts. To illustrate this part of the subject, we have carefully analyzed the efforts of the Episcopal and Nonconformist Missionary Societies in every county in England. Two advantages result from this examination; first, as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, &c. is mainly supported by the orthodox or canonical clergy and their friends, and the Church Missionary Society is maintained by the Evangelical clergy and their adherents, the comparison between the contributions to each Society will show the relative strength or activity of these two great parties in the church in each county; while in the second place, in writing their receipts, and comparing the total with the contributions of the several Nonconformist Missionary Societies in the same county, the relative strength or activity of the two great parties that now divide the kingdom may be fairly ascertained.