About one hundred people were members of his
church, and with their subscriptions, and also having a little money
of his own, he managed to live in a quiet manner in a cottage on the
Black Hill near to his temple. Every Sunday he held forth morning
and evening, expounding his views to his sparse congregation, and
was looked upon by them as a kind of prophet. As a matter of fact,
the man had that peculiar power of fascination which seems to be
inseparable from the prophetic character, and it was his intense
enthusiasm and eloquent tongue that cast a spell over the simple-
minded people who believed in him. But his doctrines were too
shallow and unsatisfactory ever to take root, and it could be easily
seen that when Marchurst died 'The Elect' would die also,--that is,
as a sect, for it was not pervaded by that intense religious fervour
which is the life and soul of a new doctrine. The fundamental
principles of his religion were extremely simple; he saved his
friends and damned his enemies, for so he styled those who were not
of the same mind as himself. If you were a member of 'The Elect', Mr
Marchurst assured you that the Golden Gate was wide open for you,
whereas if you belonged to any other denomination you were lost for
ever; so according to this liberal belief, the hundred people who
formed his congregation would all go straight to Heaven, and all the
rest of mankind would go to the devil.
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