few will be related: but I shall first tell, that he hasted to get
the Parish-Church repaired; then to beautify the Chapel,--which stands
near his house,--and that at his own great charge. He then proceeded
to rebuild the greatest part of the Parsonage-house, which he did
also very completely, and at his own charge; and having done this
good work, he caused these verses to be writ upon, or engraven in, the
mantle of the chimney in his hall.
TO MY SUCCESSOR.
If thou chance for to find
A new house to thy mind,
And built without thy cost;
Be good to the poor,
As God gives thee store,
And then my labour's not lost.
We will now, by the Reader's favour, suppose him fixed at Bemerton,
and grant him to have seen the Church repaired, and the Chapel
belonging to it very decently adorned at his own great charge,--which
is a real truth;--and having now fixed him there, I shall proceed
to give an account of the rest of his behaviour, both to his
parishioners, and those many others that knew and conversed with him.
[Sidenote: Ordained Priest]
Doubtless Mr. Herbert had considered, and given rules to himself for
his Christian carriage both to God and man, before he entered
into Holy Orders. And 'tis not unlike, but that he renewed those
resolutions at his prostration before the holy altar, at his induction
into the Church of Bemerton: but as yet he was but a Deacon, and
therefore longed for the next Ember-week, that he might be ordained
Priest, and made capable of administering both the Sacraments. At
which time the reverend Dr. Humphrey Henchman,[22] now Lord Bishop
of London,--who does not mention him but with some veneration for
his life and excellent learning,--tells me, "He laid his hand on Mr.
Herbert's head, and, alas! within less than three years, lent his
shoulder to carry his dear friend to his grave."
[Sidenote: "The Country Parson"]
And that Mr. Herbert might the better preserve those holy rules which
such a Priest as he intended to be, ought to observe; and that time
might not insensibly blot them out of his memory, but that the next
year might shew him his variations from this year's resolutions; he
therefore did set down his rules, then resolved upon, in that order as
the world now sees them printed in a little book, called "The Country
Parson;" in which some of his rules are:
The Parson's knowledge.
The Parson on Sundays.
The Parson praying.
The Parson preaching.
The Parson's charity.
The Parson comforting the sick.
The Parson arguing.
The Parson condescending.
The Parson in his journey.
The Parson in his mirth.
The Parson with his Churchwardens.
The Parson blessing the people.
And his behaviour towards God and man may be said to be a practical
comment on these, and the other holy rules set down in that useful
book: a book so full of plain, prudent, and useful rules, that that
Country Parson, that can spare twelve pence, and yet wants it, is
scarce excusable; because it will both direct him what he ought to do,
and convince him for not having done it.
[Sidenote: First sermon]
At the death of Mr. Herbert, this book fell into the hands of his
friend Mr. Woodnot; and he commended it into the trusty hands of Mr.
sermon Barnabas Oley,[23] who published it with a most conscientious
and excellent preface; from which I have had some of those truths,
that are related in this life of Mr. Herbert. The text of his first
Sermon was taken out of Solomon's Proverbs, chap. iv. 23, and the
words were, "Keep thy heart with all diligence." In which first Sermon
he gave his Parishioners many necessary, holy, safe rules for the
discharge of a good conscience, both to God and man; and delivered
his Sermon after a most florid manner, both with great learning and
eloquence; but, at the close of this Sermon, told them, "That should
not be his constant way of preaching; for since Almighty God does not
intend to lead men to Heaven by hard questions, he would not therefore
fill their heads with unnecessary notions; but that, for their sakes,
his language and his expressions should be more plain and practical
in his future sermons." And he then made it his humble request, "That
they would be constant to the Afternoon's Service, and Catechising:"
and shewed them convincing reasons why he desired it; and his obliging
example and persuasions brought them to a willing conformity to his
desires.
[Sidenote: Other sermons]
The texts for all his future sermons--which, God knows, were not
many--were constantly taken out of the Gospel for the day; and he
did as constantly declare why the Church did appoint that portion
of Scripture to be that day read; and in what manner the Collect for
every Sunday does refer to the Gospel, or to the Epistle then read
to them; and, that they might pray with understanding, he did usually
take occasion to explain, not only the Collect for every particular
Sunday, but the reasons of all the other Collects and Responses in our
Church-service; and made it appear to them, that the whole service of
the Church was a reasonable, and therefore an acceptable sacrifice
to God: as namely, that we begin with "Confession of ourselves to be
vile, miserable sinners;" and that we begin so, because, till we have
confessed ourselves to be such, we are not capable of that mercy which
we acknowledge we need, and pray for: but having, in the prayer of
our Lord, begged pardon for those sins which we have confessed; and
hoping, that as the Priest hath declared our absolution, so by our
public confession, and real repentance, we have obtained that pardon;
then we dare and do proceed to beg of the Lord, "to open our lips,
that our mouth may shew forth his praise;" for till then we are
neither able nor worthy to praise him. But this being supposed, we are
then fit to say, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost;" and fit to proceed to a further service of our God, in
the Collects, and Psalms, and Lauds, that follow in the service.
[Sidenote: Psalms and Lauds]
And as to the Psalms and Lauds, he proceeded to inform them why they
were so often, and some of them daily, repeated in our Church-service;
namely, the Psalms every month, because they be an historical and
thankful repetition of mercies past, and such a composition of prayers
and praises, as ought to be repeated often, and publicly; for with
such sacrifice God is honoured and well-pleased. This for the Psalms.
[Sidenote: His teaching]
And for the Hymns and Lauds appointed to be daily repeated or sung
after the first and second Lessons are read to the congregation; he
proceeded to inform them, that it was most reasonable, after they have
heard the will and goodness of God declared or preached by the Priest
in his reading the two chapters, that it was then a seasonable duty
to rise up, and express their gratitude to Almighty God, for those his
mercies to them, and to all mankind; and then to say with the Blessed
Virgin, "that their souls do magnify the Lord, and that their spirits
do also rejoice in God their Saviour:" and that it was their duty also
to rejoice with Simeon in his song, and say with him, "That their eyes
have" also "seen their salvation;" for they have seen that salvation
which was but prophesied till his time: and he then broke out into
these expressions of joy that he did see it; but they live to see it
daily in the history of it, and therefore ought daily to rejoice, and
daily to offer up their sacrifices of praise to their God, for that
particular mercy. A service, which is now the constant employment of
that Blessed Virgin and Simeon, and all those blessed Saints that are
possessed of Heaven: and where they are at this time interchangeably
and constantly singing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God; glory be to God
on high, and on earth peace." And he taught them, that to do this was
an acceptable service to God, because the Prophet David says in his
Psalms, "He that praiseth the Lord honoureth him."
He made them to understand how happy they be that are freed from the
incumbrances of that law which our forefathers groaned under: namely,
from the legal sacrifices, and from the many ceremonies of the
Levitical law; freed from Circumcision, and from the strict
observation of the Jewish Sabbath, and the like. And he made them
know, that having received so many and so great blessings, by being
born since the days of our Saviour, it must be an acceptable sacrifice
to Almighty God, for them to acknowledge those blessings daily, and
stand up and worship, and say as Zacharias did, "Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel, for he hath--in our days--visited and redeemed his
people; and he hath--in our days--remembered, and shewed that mercy,
which by the mouth of the Prophets, he promised to our forefathers;
and this he has done according to his holy covenant made with them."
And he made them to understand that we live to see and enjoy
the benefit of it, in his Birth, in his Life, his Passion, his
Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven, where he now sits sensible of
all our temptations and infirmities; and where he is at this present
time making intercession for us, to his and our Father: and therefore
they ought daily to express their public gratulations, and say daily
with Zacharias, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that hath thus
visited and thus redeemed his people."--These were some of the
reasons, by which Mr. Herbert instructed his congregation for the
use of the Psalms and Hymns appointed to be daily sung or said in the
Church-service.
[Sidenote: Prayers]
He informed them also, when the Priest did pray only for the
congregation, and not for himself; and when they did only pray for
him; as namely, after the repetition of the Creed before he proceeds
to pray the Lord's Prayer, or any of the appointed Collects, the
Priest is directed to kneel down, and pray for them, saying, "The
Lord be with you;" and when they pray for him, saying, "And with thy
spirit;" and then they join together in the following Collects: and
he assured them, that when there is such mutual love, and such joint
prayers offered for each other, then the holy Angels look down
from Heaven, and are ready to carry such charitable desires to God
Almighty, and he as ready to receive them; and that a Christian
congregation calling thus upon God with one heart, and one voice, and
in one reverent and humble posture, looks as beautifully as Jerusalem,
that is at peace with itself.
[Sidenote: Mode of worship]
He instructed them also why the prayer of our Lord was prayed often
in every full service of the Church; namely, at the conclusion of the
several parts of that service; and prayed then, not only because it
was composed and commanded by our Jesus that made it, but as a perfect
pattern for our less perfect forms of prayer, and therefore fittest to
sum up and conclude all our imperfect petitions.
He instructed them also, that as by the second Commandment we are
required not to bow down to, or worship an idol, or false god; so,
by the contrary rule, we are to bow down and kneel, or stand up and
worship the true God. And he instructed them why the Church required
the congregation to stand up at the repetition of the Creeds; namely,
because they thereby declare both their obedience to the Church, and
an assent to that faith into which they had been baptized. And he
taught them, that in that shorter Creed or Doxology, so often repeated
daily, they also stood up to testify their belief to be, that "the God
that they trusted in was one God, and three persons; the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost; to whom they and the Priest gave glory." And
because there had been heretics that had denied some of those three
persons to be God, therefore the congregation stood up and honoured
him, by confessing and saying, "It was so in the beginning, is now so,
and shall ever be so world without end." And all gave their assent to
this belief, by standing up and saying, Amen.
[Sidenote: Commemorations]
He instructed them also what benefit they had by the Church's
appointing the celebration of holidays and the excellent use of them,
namely, that they were set apart for particular commemorations of
particular mercies received from Almighty God; and--as Reverend Mr.
Hooker says--to be the landmarks to distinguish times; for by them we
are taught to take notice how time passes by us, and that we ought
not to let the years pass without a celebration of praise for those
mercies which those days give us occasion to remember, and therefore
they were to note that the year is appointed to begin the 25th day
of March; a day in which we commemorate the Angel's appearing to the
Blessed Virgin, with the joyful tidings that "she should conceive and
bear a son, that should be the Redeemer of mankind." And she did so
forty weeks after this joyful salutation; namely, at our Christmas:
a day in which we commemorate his Birth with joy and praise: and
that eight days after this happy birth we celebrate his Circumcision;
namely, in that which we call New-year's day. And that, upon that day
which we call Twelfth-day, we commemorate the manifestation of the
unsearchable riches of Jesus to the Gentiles: and that that day we
also celebrate the memory of his goodness in sending a star to guide
the three Wise Men from the East to Bethlehem, that they might there
worship, and present him with their oblations of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. And he--Mr. Herbert--instructed them, that Jesus was forty
days after his birth presented by his blessed Mother in the Temple;
namely, on that day which we call, "The Purification of the Blessed
Virgin, Saint Mary."
[Sidenote: Other instructions]
And he instructed them, that by the Lent-fast we imitate and
commemorate our Saviour's humiliation in fasting forty days; and
that we ought to endeavour to be like him in purity: and that on
Good Friday we commemorate and condole his Crucifixion; and at Easter
commemorate his glorious Resurrection. And he taught them, that after
Jesus had manifested himself to his Disciples to be "that Christ that
was crucified, dead and buried;" and by his appearing and conversing
with his Disciples for the space of forty days after his Resurrection,
he then, and not till then, ascended into Heaven in the sight of those
Disciples; namely, on that day which we call the Ascension, or Holy
Thursday. And that we then celebrate the performance of the promise
which he made to his Disciples at or before his Ascension; namely,
"that though he left them, yet he would send them the Holy Ghost to
be their Comforter;" and that he did so on that day which the Church
calls Whitsunday.--Thus the Church keeps an historical and circular
commemoration of times, as they pass by us; of such times as ought to
incline us to occasional praises, for the particular blessings which
we do, or might receive, by those holy commemorations.
[Sidenote: His own practice]
He made them know also why the Church hath appointed Ember-weeks; and
to know the reason why the Commandments, and the Epistles and Gospels,
were to be read at the Altar or Communion Table: why the Priest was to
pray the Litany kneeling; and why to pray some Collects standing: and
he gave them many other observations, fit for his plain congregation,
but not fit for me now to mention; for I must set limits to my pen,
and not make that a treatise, which I intended to be a much shorter
account than I have made it: but I have done, when I have told the
Reader, that he was constant in catechising every Sunday in the
afternoon, and that his catechising was after his Second Lesson,
and in the pulpit; and that he never exceeded his half hour, and was
always so happy as to have an obedient and a full congregation.
And to this I must add, that if he were at any time too zealous in his
Sermons, it was in reproving the indecencies of the people's behaviour
in the time of divine service; and of those Ministers that huddle up
the Church-prayers, without a visible reverence and affection; namely,
such as seemed to say the Lord's prayer, or a Collect in a breath. But
for himself, his custom was to stop betwixt every Collect, and give
the people time to consider what they had prayed, and to force
their desires affectionately to God, before he engaged them into new
petitions.
[Sidenote: "Mr. Herbert's Saint's-bell"]
And by this account of his diligence to make his parishioners
understand what they prayed, and why they praised and adored their
Creator, I hope I shall the more easily obtain the Reader's belief
to the following account of Mr. Herbert's own practice; which was to
appear constantly with his wife and three nieces--the daughters of
a deceased sister--and his whole family, twice every day at
the Church-prayers in the Chapel, which does almost join to his
Parsonage-house. And for the time of his appearing, it was strictly at
the canonical hours of ten and four: and then and there he lifted up
pure and charitable hands to God in the midst of the congregation. And
he would joy to have spent that time in that place, where the honour
of his Master Jesus dwelleth; and there, by that inward devotion which
he testified constantly by an humble behaviour and visible adoration,
he, like Joshua, brought not only "his own household thus to serve the
Lord;" but brought most of his parishioners, and many gentlemen in the
neighbourhood, constantly to make a part of his congregation twice
a day: and some of the meaner sort of his parish did so love and
reverence Mr. Herbert, that they would let their plough rest when Mr.
Herbert's Saint's-bell rung to prayers, that they might also offer
their devotions to God with him; and would then return back to their
plough. And his most holy life was such, that it begot such reverence
to God, and to him, that they thought themselves the happier, when
they carried Mr. Herbert's blessing back with them to their labour.
Thus powerful was his reason and example to persuade others to a
practical piety and devotion.
And his constant public prayers did never make him to neglect his own
private devotions, nor those prayers that he thought himself bound to
perform with his family, which always were a set form, and not long;
and he did always conclude them with a Collect which the Church hath
appointed for the day or week.--Thus he made every day's sanctity a
step towards that kingdom, where impurity cannot enter.
[Sidenote: Music]
His chiefest recreation was Music, in which heavenly art he was a
most excellent master, and did himself compose many Divine Hymns and
Anthems, which he set and sung to his lute or viol: and though he was
a lover of retiredness, yet his love to Music was such, that he went
usually twice every week, on certain appointed days, to the Cathedral
Church in Salisbury; and at his return would say, "That his time spent
in prayer, and Cathedral-music, elevated his soul, and was his Heaven
upon earth." But before his return thence to Bemerton, he would
usually sing and play his part at an appointed private Music-meeting;
and, to justify this practice, he would often say, "Religion does not
banish mirth, but only moderates and sets rules to it."
And as his desire to enjoy his Heaven upon earth drew him twice every
week to Salisbury, so his walks thither were the occasion of many
happy accidents to others; of which I will mention some few.
In one of his walks to Salisbury he overtook a gentleman, that is
still living in that City; and in their walk together, Mr. Herbert
took a fair occasion to talk with him, and humbly begged to be
excused, if he asked him some account of his faith; and said, "I
do this the rather, because though you are not of my parish, yet I
receive tythe from you by the hand of your tenant; and, Sir, I am the
bolder to do it, because I know there be some sermon-hearers that be
like those fishes, that always live in salt water, and yet are always
fresh."
After which expression, Mr. Herbert asked him some needful questions,
and having received his answer, gave him such rules for the trial of
his sincerity, and for a practical piety, and in so loving and meek
a manner, that the gentleman did so fall in love with him, and his
discourse, that he would often contrive to meet him in his walk to
Salisbury, or to attend him back to Bemerton; and still mentions the
name of Mr. George Herbert with veneration, and still praiseth God for
the occasion of knowing him.
[Sidenote: The cure for indifference]
In another of his Salisbury walks, he met with a neighbour Minister;
and after some friendly discourse betwixt them, and some condolement
for the decay of piety, and too general contempt of the Clergy, Mr.
Herbert took occasion to say,
"One cure for these distempers would be, for the Clergy themselves to
keep the Ember-weeks strictly, and beg of their parishioners to join
with them in fasting and prayers for a more religious Clergy.
"And another cure would be, for themselves to restore the great and
neglected duty of Catechising, on which the Salvation of so many of
the poor and ignorant lay-people does depend; but principally, that
the Clergy themselves would be sure to live unblameably; and that
the dignified Clergy especially which preach temperance, would avoid
surfeiting and take all occasions to express a visible humility and
charity in their lives; for this would force a love and an imitation,
and an unfeigned reverence from all that knew them to be such." (And
for proof of this, we need no other testimony than the life and death
of Dr. Lake,[24] late Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells.) "This," said Mr.
Herbert, "would be a cure for the wickedness and growing Atheism of
our age. And, my dear brother, till this be done by us, and done in
earnest, let no man expect a reformation of the manners of the Laity;
for 'tis not learning, but this, this only that must do it; and, till
then, the fault must lie at our doors."
[Sidenote: The Good Samaritan]
In another walk to Salisbury, he saw a poor man with a poorer horse,
that was fallen under his load: they were both in distress, and needed
present help; which Mr. Herbert perceiving, put off his canonical
coat, and helped the poor man to unload, and after to load, his horse.
The poor man blessed him for it, and he blessed the poor man; and was
so like the Good Samaritan, that he gave him money to refresh both
himself and his horse; and told him, "That if he loved himself he
should be merciful to his beast." Thus he left the poor man: and at
his coming to his musical friends at Salisbury, they began to wonder
that Mr. George Herbert, which used to be so trim and clean, came into
that company so soiled and discomposed: but he told them the occasion.
And when one of the company told him "He had disparaged himself by so
dirty an employment," his answer was, "That the thought of what he had
done would prove music to him at midnight; and that the omission of it
would have upbraided and made discord in his conscience, whensoever he
should pass by that place: for if I be bound to pray for all that be
in distress, I am sure that I am bound, so far as it is in my power,
to practice what I pray for. And though I do not wish for the like
occasion every day, yet let me tell you, I would not willingly pass
one day of my life without comforting a sad soul, or shewing
mercy; and I praise God for this occasion. And now let's tune our
instruments."
Thus, as our blessed Saviour, after his Resurrection, did take
occasion to interpret the Scripture to Cleopas, and that other
Disciple, which he met with and accompanied in their journey to
Emmaus; so Mr. Herbert, in his path toward Heaven, did daily take any
fair occasion to instruct the ignorant, or comfort any that were in
affliction; and did always confirm his precepts, by shewing humility
and mercy, and ministering grace to the hearers.
[Sidenote: Mrs. Herbert]
[Sidenote: His charity]