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CHRISTIAN

CHURCH, THE the days of Constantine was one-twentieth of the whole been rapid progress in the spread of Christianity. We can (Hist, Milman’s edit., 1846, vol. i. p. 520). Bishop only indicate this advance by the general figures we have Lightfoot so far agreed with Gibbon that he regarded cited; but it may serve to illustrate the general character (Historical Essays, pp. 79, 80) the estimate as too of the progress in non-Christian lands if we set down favourable, but he accepted it as a sufficiently just here the figures which relate to India. The number of one for purposes of comparison. He reckoned that the Christians in India between 1841-51 was estimated at empire of Rome ruled over from one-seventh to one-tenth 91,000 ; between 1851-61 at 138,000 ; and between 1861of the then population of the world; thus the Christian 71 at 224,000 ; between 1871-81 at 897,216 ; and between population in the close of the 3rd century could only claim 1881-91 at 2,284,380. These figures represent a growth at the most one-twentieth of one-seventh of the human of 50 per cent, for each decade. Beside this we may Bishop Lightfoot, in place two very remarkable results of the missionary work race—i.e., only one in every 140. conclusion, adopted T|g- as the proportion of Christians to in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, where missionary work the world population at that time. He claimed that the can scarcely be said to have commenced till 1815, there is proportion in the present day was one in five. But there now a self-supporting, self-governing, self-extending church, is reason to think that this is below the true proportion. and seven out of eight of the inhabitants are Christian. (ii.) The measure of Christian progress may also be given The Christian Church to-day can, it is believed, claim oneby statistics indicating world influence or ascendancy. third of the population of the world. (a) More remarkable than the growth in the number of The following tables can only be accepted as rough and approximate estimates. We have very few data for deter- adherents is the increase of the influence and power of the mining either the population of the world or the Christian Christian nations. Thus it has been reckoned p0jjtlcaj population from century to century, but on the whole the that three hundred years ago 3,480,900 square influence. proportions set out here are probably sufficiently near the miles of the world’s surface were under the government of the Christian nations, and 45,619,100 square fact for general purposes of comparison. The accompanying table exhibits at a glance the general miles were under the government of non-Christian peoples —i.e., one mile out of every thirteen was under Christian progress of Christianity :— governing influence. How, however, the figures are altered : Christian Population. A.D. World Population. the number of square miles under Christian government 5,000,000 100 2,000,000 is 40,317,200, that under non-Christian influence is 200 5,000,000 300 8,782,300—i.e., the Christian nations rule between four and 10,000,000 400 five square miles for every one governed by non-Christian 30,000,000 800 peoples, or 82 per cent, of the governed area of the world. 40,000,000 900 (b) The supremacy of Christian governing power is 50,000,000 1000 100,000,000 1500 shown in the statistics of the populations now dependent 125,000,000 1600 upon the Christian nations. In 1500 only 100,000,000 155,000,000 1700 of people were under Christian rule, now there are 200,000,000 1800 1,000,000,000 900,000,000. _ _ ' 394,000,000 1875 1,396,842,000 410,000,000 1880 (c) It may be interesting to note the relative ascendancy 493,000,000 1890 of the different forms of Christianity in this world-influence. 500,000,000 1896 1,500,000,000 For convenience’ sake we may take the three broad The diminution between a.d. 100 and a.d. 200 is divisions, viz. : the Greek, the Roman Catholic, and the accounted for by persecution; the rapid increase between Protestant nations respectively. The area of the world a.d. 300 and a.d. 400 to the patronage of the Emperor ruled by Christian and non-Christian people is between Constantine. The Christian reader will note, however, 49,000,000 and 50,000,000 square miles. Of these the rule with satisfaction that the increase within the last hundred is distributed as follows: — Non - Christian nations, years has been more rapid than in any similar period, and 8,782,000; Greek (Christian), 8,752,000; Roman that the ratio of increase has been augmented since 1880. Catholic (Christian), 14,147,000 ; Protestant (Christian), The Protestant reader will observe that the increase within 17,417,000 ; or in percentages, non-Christian, 18 per cent.; the last three or four hundred years has been more rapid Greek, 18 per cent.; Roman Catholic, 28 per cent.; Protestant, 36 per cent. If we examine the populations than in the period preceding the Reformation. The increase in the 19th century is represented by the under these governments respectively, we have the followfollowing figures. The percentage of the Christian popu- ing results :—Under Christian rule, 890,000,000 ; dislation to the world population, which was 20 in 1800, was tributed as follows: under Greek, 128,000,000 ; under 28‘5 in 1875 and was 33'3 in 1896; and whereas the Roman Catholic, 242,000,000; under Protestant, average yearly increment between 1800 and 1875 was 520,000,000. The result may be exhibited by the followsomething, over 2,500,000, it was over 5,000,000 between ing table, which compares the populations under these 1875 and 1896; or, to put the result in quarter-century governments in 1700 and in 1900 respectively :— periods, whereas the average gain for each of the first three Total. Roman Catholic. Protestant. Greek. quarters of the 19th century was 65,000,000, the average 155,000,000 gain of the last quarter of the century was 106,000,000. 1700 33,000,000 90,000,000 32,000,000 1900 128,000,000 242,000,000 520,000,000 890,000,000 It is worthy of note that this coincides with the period during which intercession for missions became a recog(d) Alongside these figures we may place another fact. nized duty on the part of the Church. Dr Dorchester speaking of the United States, says in his Problems of There has been a marked change in the diffusion of Religious Progress that whereas in the beginning of the European languages during the last 100 years, and it will century the proportion of communicants to the population be readily seen that the diffusion of language is, if not a was one in fourteen or fifteen, in 1890 it was one in four or diffusion of influence, yet a measure of its diffusion. In five ; or, in other words, while the population had grown 1800 French was spoken by 31,000,000 of people ; German and Russian tongue each by 30,000,000; the Spanish by 11 'S-fokl, the communicants had increased 38-fold. Thus it would seem that simultaneously with the deepen- 26,000,000 ; and English by 20,000,000. In 1890 the ing of the religious spirit in the Christian churches there has figures stood thus: French, 51,000,000; German and