The Book of Religions Part 35

Baptists.

The following table, from the Baptist Register of 1842, exhibits the statistics of the Regular or a.s.sociated Baptists in a perspicuous light:-

Churches, Ministers, &c.

States. Churches. Ministers. Baptized. Members.

Maine 261 181 2249 26490 New Hampshire 104 77 1042 9557 Vermont 134 94 784 10950 Ma.s.sachusetts 209 179 2355 25092 Rhode Island 32 25 348 5196 Connecticut 98 92 559 11266 New York 814 697 7533 82200 New Jersey(13) 55 53 961 6716 Pennsylvania 252 181 2370 20983 Delaware 9 8 326 Maryland 27 18 661 1710 Virginia 477 238 3086 57390 North Carolina 448 193 1543 26169 South Carolina 367 192 1434 34092 Georgia 651 276 1043 44022 Alabama 503 250 908 25084 Mississippi 150 64 615 6050 Louisiana(14) 15 9 288 Arkansas 43 21 105 798 Tennessee 666 444 938 30879 Kentucky 627 300 5842 47325 Ohio 502 284 3594 22333 Indiana 437 229 1794 18198 Illinois 351 250 1227 11408 Missouri 282 161 817 11010 Michigan 130 82 668 6276 Iowa 14 9 10 382 Wisconsin 15 9 58 385 British Provinces 225 125 4414 37127 Total 7898 4741 46958 573702

PUBLICATIONS.-QUARTERLY: _Christian Review_, Boston, Ma.s.s.-MONTHLY: _Missionary Magazine_, Boston, Ma.s.s.; _Sabbath School Treasury_, Boston, Ma.s.s.; _Mother's Monthly Journal_, Utica, N. Y.; _Sabbath School Gleaner_, Philadelphia, Pa.; _Baptist Memorial_, N. Y.; _Michigan Christian Herald_, Detroit, Mich.-SEMI-MONTHLY: _The Register_, Montreal, Ca.; _Baptist Library_, Lexington, N. Y.-WEEKLY: _Zion's Advocate_, Portland, Me.; _N.

H. Baptist Register_, Concord, N. H.; _Vermont Telegraph_, Brandon, Vt.; _Vermont Baptist Journal_, Middlebury, Vt.; _Christian Watchman_, Boston, Ma.s.s.; _Christian Reflector_, Boston, Ma.s.s.; _Christian Secretary_, Hartford, Ct.; _N. Y. Baptist Register_, Utica, N. Y.; _Baptist Advocate_, New York, N. Y.; _Baptist Record_, Philadelphia, Pa.; _Religious Herald_, Richmond, Va.; _The Truth_, Morristown, Pa.; _Christian Index_, Penfield, Ga.; _Banner and Pioneer_, Louisville, Ky.; _Cross and Journal_, Columbus, Ohio; _Christian Messenger_, Halifax, N. S.

Free-Will Baptists.

This denomination of Baptists have in their connection nine hundred and eighty-one churches, six hundred and forty-seven ordained ministers, one hundred and seventy-two licensed preachers, forty-seven thousand two hundred and seventeen communicants, eighty-seven quarterly and fourteen yearly meetings. Of this number of members, thirty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-seven reside in New England and New York. They are most numerous in Maine and New Hampshire.

PUBLICATIONS, &c.-There are two periodicals published by this denomination at Dover, N. H.: the _Morning Star_, a weekly paper, and the _Sabbath School Repository_, published monthly; also the _Christian Soldier_, Providence, R. I., once in two weeks.

The Free-Will Baptists have several benevolent inst.i.tutions in Maine, and flourishing seminaries of learning at Parsonsfield, Me., Strafford, N. H., Smithfield, R. I., and at Clinton and Varysburgh, N. Y.

These people do not believe in the doctrine of election and reprobation, as taught by Calvin, and invite to the Lord's table all evangelical Christians in good standing in their churches.

Seventh-Day Baptists.

This people have in the United States about forty-eight churches, thirty-four elders, twenty licentiates, and five thousand communicants.

They reside princ.i.p.ally in Rhode Island and New York; but have a few churches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, &c. They are divided into three a.s.sociations, and meet by delegation annually in general conference. Their government, however, is Independent. They have a general _Missionary Society_, a _Society for the Promotion of Christianity among the Jews_, a _Tract_ and an _Education Society_. Their princ.i.p.al inst.i.tution of learning is at DE RUYTER, N. Y., and is in a flourishing state, having several teachers, and about two hundred scholars. They are close communionists.

Christian Connection.

This denomination of Christians are found in almost every state in the Union, and in Canada. In 1841, there were in America forty-one conferences, five hundred and ninety-one churches, five hundred and ninety-three ordained preachers, one hundred and eighty-nine unordained preachers, and about thirty thousand church members.

PUBLICATIONS.-This connection has three religious periodicals, viz. The _Christian Palladium_, Union Mills, N. Y.; _Christian Journal_, Exeter, N.

H.; and the _Christian Messenger_, Jacksonville, Illinois.

Calvinistic Congregationalists.

So late as the year 1700, eighty years after the landing of the Pilgrims, there were, in all the New England States then settled, but one Episcopal church, no Methodist church, and, with the exception of Rhode Island, not more than half a dozen Baptist churches. At that time, however, there were one hundred and twenty Congregational churches, composed of emigrants from Europe and their descendants, and thirty others composed of converted Indians. The great ma.s.s of the descendants of the early settlers of New England are Congregationalists, maintaining, substantially, the same views of church order and religious faith which their venerated ancestry sacrificed home, and country, and life, to maintain and perpetuate.

The present number of Congregational churches in New England is about fifteen hundred; and in the Middle and Western States there are about fourteen hundred and fifty; although the mode of church government adopted by some of them is, in some degree, modified by the "Plan of Union" with Presbyterians. These churches contain, as nearly as can be ascertained, about one hundred and ninety-four thousand communicants.

Recently, symptoms of dissatisfaction with the "Plan of Union" have extensively developed themselves, particularly in New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and the probability now is, that a pure Congregational mode of church government will soon be generally adopted by the descendants of New-England Congregationalists, who are scattered over the great West.

These Congregational churches are more particularly denominated _Orthodox_ than any other churches in the United States, and adhere to the doctrines of Calvin or Hopkins.

PUBLICATIONS.-The Orthodox Congregationalists publish a great number of periodicals, the princ.i.p.al of which are the _Boston Recorder_, the _New England Puritan_, Boston, Ma.s.s.; the _Christian Mirror_, Portland, Me.; the _Congregational Journal_, Concord, N. H.; the _Vermont Chronicle_, Windsor, Vt.; the _Congregational Observer_, Hartford, Ct.; and several in the Western States, which are sustained partly by Congregationalists and partly by Presbyterians.

Disciples Of Christ.

The largest number of this denomination is found in the region of country around where its doctrines were first propagated. There are, however, societies of this cla.s.s of Christians in other parts of the country, some adopting, and others rejecting, its views on baptism. The total number in the United States is about one hundred and fifty thousand.

PUBLICATIONS. The Disciples of Christ publish a periodical, the _Millennial Harbinger_, at Bethany, Va., (edited by CAMPBELL, the founder of the sect,) and another, the _Evangelist_, at Carthage, Ohio.

Episcopalians.

We have already given, in the historical account of the Episcopal Church, in this Country, a few brief notices of its condition; and we now present the following additional statistics.

List Of Bishops.

It being the essential principle of Episcopacy, that legitimate church authority is not originated by voluntary a.s.sociations of men, but is of Divine origin, derived from Christ, and transmitted through an unbroken succession of Bishops, who trace their appointment to Him, we here give a list of the names of persons who const.i.tute such succession.

ORDER OF EPISCOPAL SUCCESSION.

A. D.

JESUS CHRIST.

44. St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome.

66. Linus.

81. Anacletus.

91. Clement.

102. Euarestus.

111. Alexander.

121. Sixtus I.

130. Telesphorus.

141. Hyginus.

144. Pius.