seceded from the
Church of England, and formed a distinct sect. It is most important
for Churchmen to remember that the Church of England did not secede
from that of Rome, but Romanists seceded from the Church of England.
Just as Naaman the leper remained the same Naaman after he was
cured of his leprosy as he was before, so the Church of England
remained the same Church of England after the Reformation as she
was before, composed of the same duly consecrated Bishops, of the
same duly ordained Clergy, and of the same faithful people. The
present Church of England is the old Catholic Church of England,
reformed in the 16th century of certain superstitious errors, but
still the same Church which came down from our British and Saxon
ancestors, and as such it possesses its original endowments, which
were never, as some suppose, taken from one Church and given to
another. And thus, when Roman Catholics speak of our grand old
Cathedrals and Parish Churches as being once theirs, they assert
what is not historically true. These buildings always belonged, as
they do now, to the Church of England, which Church has been
continuous from British times to the present. (See _Endowment_.)

The Established Church in England is governed by 2 Archbishops and
31 Bishops. Besides these, there are 4 Suffragan (which see) Bishops
(Dover, Bedford, Nottingham, and Colchester). There are also 22
retired Colonial Bishops in England. Four new Bishoprics have
recently been created, and two more are in course of formation.
As assistants to the Bishops there are 82 Archdeacons, and 613
Rural Deans. There about 13,500 benefices in England, and about
23,000 clergymen of every class. The Church sittings number about
6,200,000. It is somewhat difficult to arrive at the number of the
members of the Church of England, as Nonconformists have always
objected to a religious census being made. Taking the following
official returns, we find that, out of every 100,--

Chrchs. Dsntrs.

School returns give 72 28
Cemetery " " 70 30
Marriages " " 75 25
Army " " 63 37
(Of which 37 no fewer than 24 are Roman Catholics.)
Navy returns give 75 25
Workhouse " " 79 21
Giving an average of 72 per cent, to the Church, and 28 per cent,
to Dissenters.
The whole population in England and Wales in 1878 was 24,8