Congregational Church is very small, as will be seen by the following table for 1880:

261 1,375 637

Outside of New England........ 2,273

In the United States, outside of New England, only 11 per cent. of the Congregational churches have pastors, 60 per cent. have stated supplies, and 28 per cent. are vacant.

The Presbyterians show a more favorable record in the whole country, a result in part of the fact that their economy has something more of the connectional character. But their practice of settling ministers on the same principle of personal choice does not well supply their churches with pastors. In 1880, of 5,489 Presbyterian churches, 3,086, or 56 per cent., had pastors; 1,369, or 25 per cent., had stated supplies; and 1,034, or 19 per cent., were vacant. Combining the Congregational and the Presbyterian churches in the United States, we find 42 per cent. have pastors, 35 per cent. stated supplies, and 23 per cent. are

vacant.

Of late, the question has been discussed among our Congregational brethren whether the installation of pastors should be considered essential to the Congregational polity. This was the topic of an able article in the Congregational Quarterly, in October, 1878. The writer discussed the question of principles and also of facts. He answered "the main question plumply in the affirmative." He said, "Theoretically and historically the installation of pastors is a constituent part of the Congregational polity." "Not ten years ago, Connecticut Congregationalism declared in grave speech and graver document that no uninstalled minister was a pastor, or could properly be a member of a council." But the writer thinks the logic of events seems to be answering this question in the negative.

The same writer says: "For a long time, the view was held and acted upon that a man was not a minister unless he was a pastor in charge of a church. For more than one hundred years of our history, moreover, ordination always meant what

installation now does. None were ordained 'to the ministry,' but over churches." His conclusion is stated in these words, "From leading facts and principles, then, it would seem that the installation of pastors is a constituent element of the Congregational polity."

It is evident that the Congregational polity, as a system, fails, if it does not furnish pastors for the churches. The Congregationalist for January 9, 1868, in an editorial article in regard to stated supplies, said: "Of late years, an effort has been made to make the relation sound more Congregational, by styling those who hold it "acting pastors." It is clear to careful reflection upon the fundamental principles of our system that Congregationalism recognizes no such church officers as having any place among the regular force of her la borers. One of her cardinal doctrines is, that there are only two grades of regular church officers-pastors and deaconsknown to Scripture. But a stated supply is not a deacon; equally, he is not a pastor; because the church has neither chosen him nor ordained him to be such. In a great many instances, as the thing works now, the church, as such, has taken no vote upon the matter, and has no official cognizance of the man at all; the engagement by which the supply is made "stated," instead of for a Sabbath or two, having been made by the parish committee, without so much as saying to the church "by your leave."

In reply to the inquiry whether Congregationalism is not a system of common sense, under which provision is made for such exigencies, the editor further says, Yes,

but the radical and ineradicable difference between her theory of the whole matter and that of the system of stated supplies is that she regards no church, strong or weak, as in its normal condition without a pastor. Therefore she recognizes all other occupation of its pulpit as purely and necessarily exceptional and temporary; as simply a bridge over a lamented chasm. The theory that it is right and wise for churches, because they are weak, or because they are peculiarly situated, or because they cannot quite find the man whom they are willing to settle, or for any other reason, to hire preachers by the year, as farmers do farm laborers, she utterly repudiates. . . . We could mention towns in New England where the preaching of an orthodox Congregational pulpit has been thus for years controlled by the parish committee; who have made all bargains with their

"stated supplies," and all selections of them, the church meanwhile having had no direct cognizance of the matter at all.

The practical effect of so many churches being without pastors is very bad. They often remain many months, and even some years, in this condition. No church, however strong, will be exempt from serious losses, besides failing to make progress. The writer already quoted (an editorial writer) says:

A few years of such experiences are very apt to sink a church so low in its essential life, that it is almost impossible for it to have more than a name to live, (if it retain even that.)

Again:

We believe the feeblest church of Christ, west or east, new or old, should seek to have a pastor. That is God's way. The feebler it is the more it needs a pastor. Let them take one of their own humble members, if they can get none better qualified; but let them have a pastor, who shall dwell among them, and make their interests his own. Happy will be the day for the churches when these ill-omened letters, "S. S." and "A. P.,” shall disappear from all our statistics.

Such is the testimony of an eminent Congregational editor. Thus we have, on the one hand, Methodist societies fostered by a perpetual pastorate, and, on the other hand, denominations of the Congregational polity with a large percentage of their churches suffering from the want of pastors. What is the effect on the growth of these churches? I will give the statistics as gathered from the official sources of each. The following table gives the number of the communi

Methodism, starting in 1800 with less than one third as many members as all kinds of Baptists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists combined, has come to be nearly as numerous as all of them united, and her actual gain has been 48,188 more

than theirs. The relative increase to the population of the country is full of significance.

INHABITANTS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ONE COMMUNICANT.

CHURCHES OF THE CONGREGATIONAL POLITY.

In 1800, the communicants of the Churches of the Congregational polity were 1-25th of the whole population of the country, while the communicants of the Methodist Churches were 1-82d part; but in 1880 the communicants of the former had become 1-13th part of the whole population, and those of Methodism had also become 1-13th part of it, a gain of 12 in the population in the former, and 69 in the latter.

We need not pursue these statistics any further. We do not, however, presume that the superior growth of Methodism is due wholly to her peculiar polity, which furnishes a perpetual pastorate; but it is too palpable to need argument that this perpetual pastorate, continually fostering the societies, has been a very large and important factor in its rapid growth; and that the small number of pastors, ranging from 56 per cent. (Presbyterians) to 23.5 per cent., (Congregational,) leaving from about one half to three fourths of the churches either vacant or with only temporary supplies, must be very disastrous to the growth of any Church.

The Boston Journal, May, 21, 1881, in an editorial, speaks of the disadvantages of the Congregation polity, as follows:

Our local columns have lately contained reports of the case of a church in one of our Massachusetts towns which has installed a pastor after nine years' ineffectual quest. Two hundred and forty different candidates had been heard by the church, and the final settlement was accomplished over the protests of a minority, which broke up one council on the score of technicalities, and endeavored to prevent the action of the second. What were the reasons which lay back of this extraordinary lack of harmony we do not seek to inquire, and it would be no kindness to

...

rekindle controversies which we may hope to have been set finally at rest. But we may be allowed to use these circumstances as an illustration of a difficulty quite often encountered among churches with vacant pastorates-although not often manifested in so extreme and acute a form. We hardly know which is the more to be wondered at, in the case which we have mentioned— the fastidiousness of the church, or the endless succession of candidates, each as hopeful as his predecessor, who were willing to subject themselves to the critical scrutiny of a congregation, their chance of pleasing whom was about one in a thousand. But this, serious as it is, is not the only evil that follows in the wake of this bad custom. It has a demoralizing effect upon ministers, who by the necessities of their position, when they are seeking a settlement, are tempted to consult popularity more than truth, and to preach what is palatable rather than what is profitable. No minister can be subjected to this sort of ordeal for any length of time without a distinct weakening of self-respect, and an uneasy sense of insincerity and unworthiness of motive. It serves further to deter young men from entering a profession the tenure in which is so hazardous.

Another fact appeared some years ago in the papers:

ITINERANCY.-The Congregational Church in Northampton, Mass., has had twenty-nine different clergymen since July, 1855, (about two and a half years,) seventeen of whom were invited by the "committee," with the expectation of being "candidates for the vacancy." It is a large and wealthy church. This is rather more of "itinerancy" than even the Methodists contend for.

Another paper had the following:

Bishop Paddock, of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, in his recent charge to his clergy, said that "pastoral changes are growing frequent. About one Episcopal minister in five unsettled, and they change almost as fast as the Methodist." The Congregationalist says: "The same is too true with us, although we think there are signs of improvement. Somebody once said, sensibly: Four ministers out of five who resign do not need to, if they would realize it."

Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Episcopalians have felt the disadvantages of their system. Prof. Tucker, of Andover Theological Seminary, presented before the last National Council of the Congregational Churches a paper upon the difficult question, how acting pastors or stated supplies could be recognized and invested with fuller powers, and brought into closer official relations with the churches they The fact that the stated supplies in his denomination are two and a fourth times as many as the pastors, with a

serve.