The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-03-08
(From the PresbYterian.l
IIOIH VH0 IesUy leTIan.D
Is the Presbyterian Church
Holding Her Own?

glcal service, and the power of the church
that retains it, Professor Hopkins makes
the following statement: at is very
largely due to this fact that of all the
sects in the United States the Episcopal
is growing the most rapidly at the pre-
sent time. 1t is forming new congrega-
tons and organizing new dioceses with
extraordinary rapidity. On the other
hand, the Presbyterian Church is almost
stationary. 1t requires a close calcula-
ton to show that she is even holding
her own" If set forms of prayer are
the best suited to the religious heart and
lie OF the worshipper, then the church
that possesses these must in one way or
another draw the greatest number, and
other things being equal, must have more
spiritual energy and aggressive power.
The wants of mans moral and spiritual
nature are the same, and if liturgy is
good to-day it must have been of equal
value yesterday in captivating worship
pers and enlarging the number of adher-
ents. Now is this true of the Episcopal
Church Has she stood in the van
among the different denominations in
the United States, nearly all of which
are non-Eturgical and is she, where she
IS Ell dowed with such vast resources of
wealth, influence and State endowments
as In England, holding her own against
the churches that have no prescribed
prayers? We say 10 to both of these.
In our own country the following is the
relation which the leading denominations
hold or have held to each other at differ
ent periods.
In l775 they stood as follows:-l Con.
gregational; 2, Baptist 8, Episcopal 4
Presby terrain. In 1901, Baptist 3,
Congregational 3, Methodist 4 Presby
terrain 5, Episcopal In 1851, Metho-
dist; 2, Baptist; 3, Presbyterian; 4,
Congregational 5, Disciples; 6, Episco-
pal. In 1871, Methodist; 2, Baptist
3, Presbyterian 4, Disciples 5, Congre-
gational; 6, Lutheran; 7, Episcopal. In
1880 1, Methodist; 2, Baptist 8, Pres
byterian; 4, Disciples; 5, Lutheran 6,
Congregational 7, Episcopal. Here,
then, in a little over one hundred years
the Episcopal Church has fallen from the
third to the seventh place, while the
Presbyterian Church has advanced from
the fourth to the third place. In 1900
DR.. Baird and others estimated the roll
of communicates Of the leading churches
as follows :-Baptists, Regular and Free
will, 100000 Congregational, $4,000 :;
Methodist, 1894 Presbyterian, 10000;
and Episcopal, 10000 In 1880, placing
under each denomination the various d.
visions Of the same, and we have the fol
lowing figures, as given by DR.. Dorches-
ter -Methodists, 3,574,485 Baptists,
2,452,878; Presbyterians, l, 173, 705; Dis
ciples or Campbellites, 591 ,821; Congre-
gational, 384332; Episcopal and Re-
formed Episcopal, 347,781. The Disci-
pies might be placed in the Baptist
column as they are immersionists. We
have then S,l77 225 communicates in
these leading bodies who have no set
forms in public worship, to 347, 781 who
have a regular liturgical services; or in
other words, in 1900 they stood to each
other as seventeen and half to one, and
in 1880 as twenty three and half to
one, which surely does not imply the
wonderful power and success of 1iturgi-
cal forms.
We come to the second point Of the
Professors assertion, and with this we
are more deeply concerned. The Church
of our fathers and the Church that we
love, on the other hand he says, lis
almost stationary" We are glad she is
not stationary, but is making some little
progress-but O so little" almost sta
tionary." But fearful that he had said
too much in favor Of a Church that has
no liturgy he qualities this statement,
after mature thought and careful ezami-
nation Of the figures, and says, at re-