ART. VII.-Churches in London. With an Appendix, containing Answers to Objections raised by the "Record," and others, to the Plan of the Metropolitan Churches Fund. By the Rev. E. B. PUSEY, D.D. Oxford. 1837.

THE Church has been assailed for some years past with an unceasing hostility, a rancour and malignity perfectly astonishing, in persons who, as some of her adversaries we suppose profess themselves to be, are called Christians. But in fulfilment of that prophecy, uttered by the Lord of life, when speaking of his Church, that the gates of hell should not prevail against her, so has she resisted every attack, whether directed by her open or more secret foes. Having her loins girt about with truth, having put on the helmet of salvation, being girt with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness, she hath gone forth to the combat against the powers of evil, and the spiritual darkness of this world. The fiery darts of the infidel, and of him who hath denied the divinity of his blessed Lord, have fallen to the ground harmless, when shot forth against the shield of faith, with which our most holy Church hath been invested. She has issued forth from the contest, not only triumphant and victorious, with all her energies and powers unimpaired, but has derived also a vast and extraordinary accession of strength, which we confidently trust, through the blessing of God, will enable her to engage in her spiritual warfare with yet greater success. The assaults of the adversaries of the Church, indeed, instead of effecting the objects which they desired, have, on the contrary, only served to raise up champions in her cause, who, by setting forth the truth of her doctrines, the purity of her practice, and the apostolical character of her forms and discipline, have given such force to her claims on the affection and support of her followers, as to summon the lukewarm, the irresolute, and the timid, from their slumber of indifference, compelling them to arm themselves for her defence; and in addition to this, have raised up a countless array of new and zealous friends around her banner. And this friendship has not shown itself only in words and professions, but has given the most substantial evidence of its genuineness and sincerity. The friends of the church of England have given the best possible proof of the respect which they entertain towards her institutions, by endeavouring to extend their influence, and to diffuse the blessed effects resulting from them, as widely as possible amongst their fellowcountrymen. They have come forward with a great, and in many cases remarkable liberality, to aid in the erection and endowment of new churches. Indeed, it would appear, that it is only necessary for an appeal to be properly made to the benevolence of Englishmen in furtherance of the different

objects contemplated by the Church, and it is almost sure to be met by a ready and willing compliance.

A growing conviction of the inadequacy of the present places of worship belonging to the church of England to meet the wants of her members, has been spreading throughout the country for some time past; and a consequent desire to remove this deficiency, by enlarging the old and erecting new churches, has been gradually springing up, and developing itself in different places, by conspicuous acts of individual liberality, seldom equalled in modern times. To the Lord Bishop of London is due the merit of originating and reducing to form a deliberate and matured plan, which should concentrate and bring to bear upon one particular district, that zeal and liberality which, excellent and truly laudable as they were, yet, by being diffused over the whole empire, had perhaps scarcely effected their full capacity of good.

The metropolis is confessedly not only most in need of religious instruction, but is at the same time most deficient in the proper means of attaining it. This will be sufficiently evident, whether we consider the amount of its population relatively to the number of churches appropriated to its use, or examine into the character and habits of its component parts.

The following table from Dr. Pusey's pamphlet will show at once the spiritual destitution of London.

18

church-room at one-third.

380,046 whole number provided for.

Proportion.

Clergymen.

Proportion.

| 1 for 19,000 | 22 | 1 for 14,000

EAST AND NORTH-EAST OF LONDON. Parishes. Population. Churches & Chapels. 10 | 353,460 | This population, notwithstanding the intellectual and highly cultivated condition of a considerable portion of its members,— notwithstanding also the great extent to which refinement, and a high civilisation, have spread themselves within its limits,contains, we must remember, a vast body of individuals, living in the most debasing habits, and continually exposed to the most corrupting influences, without the counteracting force of religious instruction, which it is totally out of their power to obtain, however well disposed they might otherwise be to receive it. It was, doubtless, owing to the strong conviction with which

he was impressed, of the lamentable circumstances in which the great mass of the lower orders of London were situated with respect to spiritual ministrations, that his lordship was induced to draw the attention of the public to that admirable plan for affording religious aid to the metropolis, which will always entitle him to the gratitude and respect of every member of the church of England. The general outlines of the plan, we believe, are as follows:

1. To build or purchase, and partly endow, at least fifty new churches.

2. Districts to be assigned to each church, within the limits of which the minister thereof may exercise pastoral care, except in special cases, in which it may be deemed advisable to provide chapels of ease, to be under the care of the incumbents of parishes; but that such chapels have, in every case, their own officiating clergymen.

3. Nomination to churches and chapels, not being chapels of ease, (as generally desired,) to be placed in the bishop of the diocese. 4. In single cases, if desirable, patronage to be vested in the patron of the living, or official trustees, to be named by the committee.

Here, it will readily be perceived, the bishop has made a very low estimate of church-room required; since it is calculated, that reckoning one church to be provided for every 3000 persons, it would require 310 new churches instead of 50, to remove the deficiency at present existing. Probably, had as many been asked for, as would be sufficient to supply the total want, such is the strange inconsistency of people in general, that many persons would have been appalled by the very magnitude of the undertaking,—would have imagined that it could never be completed, and thus have been deterred from contributing towards it; whereas by asking for a less number, small indeed as compared with the actual need, but of incalculable importance relatively to the real advantages to be derived from it, his lordship has produced a scheme which must appear feasible even to the most contracted observation. Indeed, the event has fully borne him out; for up to the present time, we believe, scarcely more than 120,000. have been subscribed, although 200,000l. we believe is the lowest sum which would be required, on the most moderate estimate. And yet this is the richest country in the world, and contains amongst its inhabitants a greater number of individuals possessing large fortunes than any other land can boast! We hear persons continually declaiming about the necessity of promoting liberal institutions, extending refinement and civilisation, and advancing the progress of education. We hear of schemes of fancied improvement continually set on foot; railroads, canals, the benefits of which never exist except in the brains of their projectors; bridges over rivers already traversed by more than are ever

used; and many other whims of the same kind, involving a large expenditure of money, without holding out any hope of return, until after a long period of years, if even then. And after all, what are the objects contemplated by most of these schemes? An increase of that communication between the inhabitants of different districts of this country, which has already extended much too far, we fear, to conduce either to the physical or moral good of the community; or else, as is more frequently the real case, a desire to gratify a spirit of speculation, deserving rather the name of gambling. Yes! these persons are ready and eager to squander away large sums with the most distant prospect of pecuniary gain, where temporal interests alone are involved; but when the eternal welfare of thousands of their fellow-countrymen is at stake, if asked to contribute towards the enlargement or building of one of the Lord's houses, to assist in promoting the welfare of human souls, to do their part towards adding but one unit to the number of the people of God, we are met but too often either by cold indifference, frivolous excuses, a churlish refusal, or else perhaps by a slow-coming and niggardly dole. "And yet," to use the words of the Bishop of London," are there not hundreds of persons who could give to the cause of Christ and of his Church their thousand pounds each, without sacrificing one of their comforts or enjoyments? And are there not multitudes whom we have a right to call upon, even for such a sacrifice if it be requisite, in order to rescue so many of their fellow-creatures from the miseries of irreligion and vice, and to prevent the further growth of an evil, which threatens our national peace and safety?"

It is difficult to give the reasons why this undertaking of christian charity, in its largest sense, has not been received in a more warm and zealous manner by the public of the metropolis. In so liberal an age as that in which we live, it might have been imagined, that the desire to join in so excellent a work as that of christianizing (the term is not too strong) so many thousands of our fellow-creatures, who are suffering under the pains of spiritual darkness, would have induced persons of all classes, even in some cases the members of a different form of faith, to come forward and subscribe readily and cheerfully, each according to his ability. But the liberality of modern times is of a very different character. Profuse as its admirers are of vain and empty declamation, their actions are totally at variance with their words. The liberality which sounds so well at a public meeting, which serves to delude an ignorant mob, and to win votes at an election, is a mere cloak assumed for party purposes, and intended often to cover some base and interested design. The most zealous champions of modern liberality in public, are generally found to be harsh and severe in their conduct towards the members of their own household, and all those who come under their power; over

bearing and utterly intolerant towards all who differ from them in sentiments, or presume to claim a share of that freedom of opinion for which they so vehemently contend. Acting upon such views as these, the pretended liberal, the friends of unlimited toleration, and the advocates for the rights of the whole human race, not only refuse to assist the Church in any objects which she may have in view, but frequently exert their utmost powers in endeavouring to weaken and injure her institutions; because, being the depository of the most pure and apostolical form of the christian faith, and preaching, in conformity with the precepts of her divine Founder, charity, benevolence, and the duty of doing unto others as we would be done by,-she is equally opposed to those rash and unhallowed theories which would destroy the very essence of religion, and to that harsh and overbearing tyranny over the opinions and actions of others, so contradictory to the spirit of Christianity.

But there is another, and a very different class of persons, for whose apparent unwillingness to co-operate in this great and admirable plan for giving new churches to the metropolis, we own we are at a loss to account. These individuals call themselves members of the church of England; are friendly to her institutions, and anxious to enlarge the sphere of her influence; and, above all, acknowledge the utility and excellence of the undertaking which we are considering; but yet from a disapprobation of some of its details, hold back and reserve their support until they can ascertain the manner in which it proceeds. A periodical paper, professedly of a religious character, has, we grieve to say it, been foremost in encouraging, if not originating, this opposition. The principal objection put forward, is with respect to the patronage of the churches contemplated to be built. The plan proposed, as we have already stated, suggests that the nomination to the different churches and chapels (not being chapels of ease) should be placed in the hands of the bishop of the diocese; and in single cases (if desirable) be vested in the patron of the living, or in official trustees, to be named by the committee. Now the persons of whose disapprobation we have been speaking, object to the whole of these provisions. They consider it inexpedient that the bishop should appoint; they also reject the proposal of vesting the choice in official trustees; and, in short, are unwilling that the clergymen who are to officiate in these new churches should be appointed except by individuals selected by the subscribers, and their nominees in future.

The object of the excellent little work by Dr. Pusey, which stands at the head of our article, is, after recommending the plan in general terms, and urging it most earnestly upon the notice of the public, to consider and refute the objections which have been made to its details. And all this, we need not say,