The British nation a history / by George MWrong . England and non-conformists, andthey showed little spiritual vigour in the first half ofthe eighteenth century : any approach to enthusiasm wasfrowned upon as in bad taste. Many of the workingclasses were practically pagan. In the Church there wasstill the evil system of pluralities, by which a singleperson could hold a number of livings, draw their reve-nues, and for a pittance employ curates to hold the serv- 488 THE BRITISH NATION ices in the neglected parishes. The result was thatsome favoured clergymen had very large incomes, whilemost had
The British nation a history / by George MWrong . England and non-conformists, andthey showed little spiritual vigour in the first half ofthe eighteenth century : any approach to enthusiasm wasfrowned upon as in bad taste. Many of the workingclasses were practically pagan. In the Church there wasstill the evil system of pluralities, by which a singleperson could hold a number of livings, draw their reve-nues, and for a pittance employ curates to hold the serv- 488 THE BRITISH NATION ices in the neglected parishes. The result was thatsome favoured clergymen had very large incomes, whilemost had only £60 or £80 a year; often the butler hada better income than the village clergyman, who some-times married aservant or the inn-keepers daugh-ter, and was ontheir social evil habits ofthe time, the ter-rible state of theprisons, the grossignorance of themasses, called forspecial zeal fromthe clergy, butuntil a great re-former arose littlewas done. JohnWesley (1703-1791) led the mostremarkable relig-ious movementof the eishteenth. The SleeiIno Congregation. (After Hogarth.) century. From, reading Luther on the Epistle to theGalatians, he came, like Luther, to lay the chief stressin religious teaching on personal faith in Christ. Hewas himself an Anglican clergyman, but on account ofhis supposed mistaken zeal he Avas, in I7-4-?, refused leaveto preach iu the church at his birthplace, Epworth,of which his father had been rector. He preached insteadin the churchyard, standing on his fathers tomb; hun-dreds were impressed by his words, and for more thanforty years he continued the work thus begun. GeoxgeWhiteficld, another clergyman of remarkable eloquence, SOCIETY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 4S9 aided him, until they quarrelled ou a question of doc-trine, but Wesleys great organizing zeal directed the move-ment. Their services were sometimes held in churches,but as often in the open air. !Kear Bristol Whitefieldpreached to ten thousand of the mining population. Bothhe
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