"the seen, that their efforts are at the most but as dust in the balance." The numbers, in 1863-4, were And of the number set down to Congregationalists there were in the same year, In England and Wales...... "Vacant." 234 that is to say, 234 churches without pastors to care for their souls, leaving the number of churches with pastors not more than 3,541. And this calculation goes upon the assumption, which is false, that all such churches in England and Wales usually have over them presiding pastors. Take again the number of their ministers. In the same year, 1863-4, there were in England and Wales: And of the numbers set down to Congregationalism, there were not fewer than 422 ministers without charge. But F these figures are more significant than at first view might appear. It has been shown that at the very outside there are not for the two denominations more than 3,541 churches WITH pastors. But there cannot be even so many. An inspection of the figures will show that for 1,270 churches of the Baptist persuasion there are 1,888 ministers, being an excess of ministers over existing churches of 618! These, it may fairly be presumed, therefore, are without pastoral occupation. For how can he be a pastor who has no flock! Add, then 618 to 442, and the total will be found to be 1,060, being the number of Congregational and Baptist ministers in England and Wales, who are without pastoral charge. Subtract from the Total number of Congregational and Baptist The number without charge And the remainder is....... 3,987 1,060 2,927 Now, this 2,927 represents the actual and total number of active pastors for both sects in the whole of England and Wales. But the total number of Churches is, as we have seen 3,775. Now, 3,775 -2,927848, or the real number of churches without pastors; which number, subtracted in turn from 3,775, makes the number of churches with pastors, and the number of pastors with charges equal. The total number of churches with pastors for England and Wales of both denominations is no more than 2,927 ! Here, then, is the true measure of the success of Two of the most influential sects of voluntaries which this country has ever produced. Only 2,927 working pastors! Only 2,927 centres of vitality! Only 2,927 companies of the faithful, which enjoy a regular and stated ministry! Only 2,927 working preachers for a colossal population of not less than 20,207,671 !!! Or, suppose that every "Reverend" among them was actually engaged in pastoral duties, suppose that every Independent and Baptist minister not in England and Wales merely, but in the whole of Great Britain, was, what he professes to be, a bona fide pastor, having a church under his care and supervision, even then the two denominations taken together can only number 4,245 such pastors, many of whom like the "Rev." Edward Miall, are practically lost to the work of the ministry, for a total population of 29,299,274 !! Look again at what voluntaryism is doing in Ireland! The condition of that beautiful country is one calculated to evoke the sympathies of every enlightened Christian philanthropist. What are the Voluntaries doing there? In that country there are only 28 Congregational Churches, and 30 Congregational ministers, 5 of whom are without any pastoral charge. In the same country the total number of Baptist ministers is only 24, probably an excess over the number of churches of of the whole. But suppose there are as many churches as there are ministers, and the totals for both denominations are 54 ministers, 49 of whom only are active, and 52 churches. And this is all that two such contentious and clamorous sects have done towards the evangelization of 5,792,055 immortal souls in a country as near home as that of the "sister isle"-a country whose spiritual con dition is little in advance of that of Spain or Russia.* And this is not all. Out of the 28 Congregational churches in Ireland, 19 situated in localities with an aggregate population of 235,240, numbered in 1861, only And these ratios are constructed upon the supposition that every such minister, whether Congregationalist or Baptist, is actually and regularly engaged in pastoral work, whereas out of 99 Congregational Ministers in Scotland, 14 are not so engaged, leaving but 85 to a population of 3,061,329 ! !! Out of 4 Congregational Ministers in Guernsey, one, or 4th of the total number is without pastoral charge leaving but 3 to a population of 36,362 ! Out of 6 in Jersey, 2 have no charge, leaving but 4 ministers to a population of 56,078. In the Isle of Man there is but one Congregationalist preacher to a population of 143,779!! And in Ireland, out of 30 such preachers, five, or 4th of the total number have no pastoral occupation, leaving but 25 men to a teeming population, benighted, priest-ridden, and degraded, of not less than 5,792,055!! So much for voluntaryism ! So much for the zeal and consistency of anti-state-church religionists! So much for the foes of the Irish Church. They would cut every incumbent, vicar, and rector adrift-disendow, rob, spoliate. And what is to be the substitute ? What but a pompous name? An Irish Congregational Union" of some 25 preachers, one-fifth of whom have received no ministerial training whatsoever! 128 members, or an average of 6.7 or 6 members to each. And more, for these 19 churches the total number under pastoral visitation, not half of whom were regular hearers, was 6,150, or an average for each pastor of persons under visitation of not more than 3231. And of the remaining 7 churches, it would be safe to affirm that they are, with perhaps one exception, in a state of langour, apathy, and inaction. |