London (England) -- Religion; Religious thought -- England -- London
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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