happiness is inseparably connected with yours, it is my daily prayer
that we may be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light."
She now withdrew to her own room.
"Sophia quite alarms me," said Mrs. Roscoe. "I fear her disorder is
taking a more fatal turn. It certainly has impaired her reason."
"She perplexes and puzzles me," said Mr. Roscoe; "no, her reason
is not impaired; it is acute and vigorous, and she is moving in a
new pathway of religious inquiry, but I cannot follow her. Some new
chapter is opening in her mental history. She talks both rationally
and incoherently. We must wait the issue, and hope for the best."
THE SOCIAL PARTY.
The day at length arrived when the Roscoes came to dine at the
villa. I had previously seen Mr. Roscoe, and had become somewhat
acquainted with his character; but there was such a peculiarity in
his manner, that I could not approach him with ease. He was affable,
yet reserved; high, yet condescending; polite, yet spoke and acted
as though conscious that he was about to engage in a disputatious
combat. The cloth was no sooner removed, than Mr. Lewellin, who had
recently attended the anniversary of the Shaftesbury Bible Society,
informed us that a medical gentleman moved one of the resolutions,
who confessed that he had been for many years an avowed infidel;
but, on application, he became a subscriber to the Bible Society:
and then he thought it proper to read the Bible, to see if it was a
proper book for circulation. After alluding to the instruction and
pleasure he had derived from its histories and its parables; from
its unique doctrines, and its pure morality; from its development
of the character of Christ, and its delineation of the human heart
and character, he concluded his speech by saying, "I am satisfied,
from what I have read, that the Bible contains a revelation of grace
and mercy from heaven. I deeply regret that I ever despised it, or
spoke against it; and I think it a duty which I owe to the Redeemer,
and to this society, thus publicly to say, that I renounce my
infidelity as the bane of human felicity, and take my Bible as my
guide to everlasting life!"
"Infidels," said Mr. Stevens, "very rarely read the Scriptures,
except to ridicule them. They take for granted that they are
the compilation of men, who have successfully palmed an absurd
system of superstition on the world, which but few have courage
enough to expose and condemn. But as the age is rapidly advancing
in knowledge, they are sanguine in their expectations. Hence,
David Hume prophesied that, at the conclusion of the last, or the
beginning of the present century, Christianity would be exterminated
from the earth. But this prediction has failed, for Christianity
is now diffusing itself with almost unprecedented rapidity through
every part of the world. Paine boasted that he had cut down every
tree in the spiritual Eden. 'Priests,' says he, 'may stick them in
the ground again, but they will never take root.' Foolish man! did
he not know that there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that
it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not
cease, 'yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth
boughs like a plant.'"
"I think," said Mr. Lewellin, "that the Bible Society is the glory
of the age and country in which we live, and if Britain, who now
stands on the highest pinnacle of fame, should ever fall from
her eminence, and become, like modern Greece, the land of moral
and political darkness and desolation, I have no doubt but the
adventurous of a distant posterity will visit her national ruins,
giving to her the tributary tear of gratitude, as the birthplace of
an institution whose benevolent design includes the whole family of
man."
"But I do not think," said Mr. Roscoe, "that the Bible should be
indiscriminately circulated. A person of education, like the medical
gentleman of whom you have been speaking, may read it, but I do not
think that it should be distributed among the ignorant and the poor,
because it is impossible for them to understand it; and if so, it
is nothing less, in my opinion, than an act of folly, or mistaken
kindness, to give it to them."
"They may not," replied Mr. Lewellin, "be able to understand every
part of the Scriptures, but I think they will be able to understand
those parts which are of great importance to be known. For example,
suppose a Sabbath-breaker was to read Ex. xx. 8, 'Remember the
Sabbath-day to keep it holy,' would he not understand it? Suppose a
thief was to read Ex. xx. 15, 'Thou shalt not steal,' would he not
understand it? Suppose a calumniator were to read Ex. xx. 16, 'Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,' would he not
understand it?"
"They would understand these preceptive parts of the Scriptures, but
I think that they would not understand the speculative parts, and
hence they would be in danger of forming wrong opinions on religious
subjects."
"But if you withhold the Scriptures from them, you give them no
chance to form right opinions."
"They should take their opinions from the clergyman of the parish in
which they live, as he is the only authorized person to teach them."
"But, if so, to what a dilemma would you reduce them. You will,
on your maxim, compel them to vary their belief according to the
ever-varying belief of the clergy. For example, you require the
people of this parish to believe implicitly what the Rev. Mr. Cole
preaches."
"Certainly I do."
"And you will require the people in the adjoining parish to believe
what the Rev. Mr. Ingleby preaches?"
"Decidedly."
"But do not these two clergymen preach different doctrines? Can they
both be right?"
"They do preach different doctrines, and I think Mr. Ingleby
assuredly wrong."
"Then there must be something wrong in your maxim, which requires
the people of a whole parish to believe error. Or let me suppose
that the Rev. Mr. Cole, the clergyman of this parish, should die,
and that he should be succeeded by a clergyman who preaches the same
doctrine as Mr. Ingleby, will you not, according to your own maxim,
be compelled, along with the rest of the parishioners, to believe
those very doctrines which you now regard as erroneous? Indeed,
if your maxim be a correct one, what security have you for the
permanent continuance of your belief?"
"I have often told Mr. Roscoe," said Mr. Stevens, "that he will
ultimately believe the same doctrines with myself, and now I
perceive there is a chance of it; for in the event of the decease or
the preferment of the Rev. Mr. Cole, the living will be presented to
an evangelical clergyman."
"Well, if that should be the case, I will break up my establishment,
and reside elsewhere."
"But this," observed Mr. Lewellin, "would be running away from your
maxim, that the people should believe, without examination, the
doctrines which their clergy preach. Indeed, your maxim is as much
opposed to _a fixed local residence as it is to a steadfast belief_,
because you do not know but as soon as you have purchased your
house, laid out your pleasure-grounds, and brought your garden to a
high state of cultivation, an evangelical clergyman may be inducted
into the living, and thus become the innocent occasion of making you
literally a pilgrim, if not a stranger on earth."
"Would you, then, leave every individual in society to interpret the
Scriptures according to his own judgment?"
"Certainly; Jesus Christ says, 'Search the Scriptures.' Now, if
one person has a right to search the Scriptures, and to form his
religious opinions from them, so has another; and if two, so have
ten; and if ten, so have all."
"Then we shall have as many different religious opinions afloat in
society as there are members; and I think it would be infinitely
better to lock up the Bible in the cloister of the Romish monks than
to circulate it."
"I grant that we shall have different religious opinions prevailing
among us, but this circumstance will be more favourable to the
religious improvement of the people than a dull uniformity. There
is no nation in Europe where there are _more_ religious sects than
in England, and there is no nation where there are _fewer_ than in
Spain; but which of the two nations is the most intelligent, which
the most powerful, and which the most free and the most religious?
National uniformity is the stagnant water where the life of
religious principle dies; but national freedom, which gives to every
man the right to think and judge for himself, is the angel of mercy,
preserving the truth in its purity amidst the conflicting elements
of diverse opinions, causing it to have a free course and to be
glorified."
"But would it not be better if we could all see alike on religious
subjects? Then there would be no disputation, and Christianity
would present to an unbeliever much stronger evidence of her divine
origin."
Mr. Lewellin replied, "If we could all see the truth with the same
clearness as the apostles saw it, and if we all felt its purifying
influence on the heart as they felt it, we should then arrive at the
highest pitch of human attainment; but this is a consummation rather
to be desired than expected. It is evident that we have not attained
this pitch of excellence; and, till we have, I think that common
justice requires that we should concede to others the right which we
claim for ourselves."
"Well, Sir, if I concede this, still I think that the different
sects should keep distinct from each other. There should be no
union, no combination; they should act apart and alone, move under
their own standard, and sleep in their own tents."
"Mr. Roscoe is now," observed Mr. Stevens, "getting to his old
objection against the Bible Society. He dislikes the union of the
different denominations of Christians in that society. He thinks
that the church has degraded herself by associating with the
Dissenters in the circulation of the Scriptures."
"So it is," said Mr. Lewellin; "what one man considers an excellence
another deems a defect. This very union is to me a most delightful
subject of contemplation; it reminds me so much of the heavenly
world, where all the redeemed mingle together in sweetest harmony,
after the jarring discords of earth have ceased to annoy and
disturb."
"But if we are distinct, let us keep distinct."
"But, Sir, we may differ on some points, and yet agree in others;
and the same reason which would keep us distinct on points of
difference, should bring us together on points of agreement. For
example, you may be most attached to the monarchical branch of
our constitution, Mr. Stevens to the aristocratical, and I to the
republican. Here we should differ, but yet we may agree to defend
it against a common foe. Now, shall our difference on these points
prevent our uniting in its defence?"
"Certainly no; he who would not unite with his countrymen in the
defence and support of the constitution, ought not to partake of the
benefits which it confers."
"I thank you, Sir, for this concession; you have fairly awarded
to me my point. Difference on some subjects ought not to prevent
a union on others. We differ on some religious subjects, but we
all profess to love the Bible, and to revere it as the standard of
truth; why, then, should we object to co-operate with each other in
circulating it through the world? The Bible Society I contemplate
as the temple of peace. When we enter we lay aside the weapons of
hostility, and mingle together as the professed disciples of Jesus
Christ; and after thus fraternizing for a common object, we retire
without having surrendered the smallest atom of the respective
opinions and practices by which we are distinguished; and I am
conscious that the intercourse will have a good moral influence over
us, by diminishing the force of our mutual jealousies, and promoting
a kind and affectionate spirit among us."
"I have often thought," said Mr. Stevens, "when I have had the
pleasure of being present at a Bible society anniversary, of the
beautiful lines which Milton represents Adam as addressing to Eve,
after they had wearied themselves with mutual accusations:--
'But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame
Each other, blamed enough elsewhere; but strive,
In offices of love, how we may lighten
Each other's burden in our share of woe.'"
"I think," said Miss Roscoe, "that the spirit of Christianity is a
spirit of universal benevolence, and I see no reason why it should
exclude any from its communion who profess to have embraced it. If
the disciples of Jesus Christ will meet at last in heaven, and lose
their sectarian designations in the more grand appellation of the
redeemed, why should they object to associate together on earth?
Surely it is no dereliction of Christian principle to take the
example of the spirits of just men made perfect as a model for our
own conduct, while we are in this imperfect state."
"I see," said Mr. Roscoe, "if the question of the Bible Society is
to be carried by numbers, that I shall be out-voted; but still,
though it may do some good, and display a kind and benevolent
spirit, yet I fear it is productive of many evils. For example, a
Dissenter gives away a Bible to a poor family, accompanied by his
own reflections; will he not, at the time he make the donation, say
something that may have a tendency to proselyte that family to his
own peculiar tenets?"
"He may, Sir; but has not the Churchman the same liberty? Hence,
on a supposition that they both aim at proselyting, their chance
of success is reciprocal; and if they both succeed, the relative
numbers of each denomination stand unaltered. But I do not think
that such a spirit actuates the great body of the members of the
Bible Society. They circulate the Scriptures without note or
comment, and leave them under the blessing of Him, who employs
the truth they reveal, as the means of enlightening the ignorant
and sanctifying the impure. To them the question of conformity or
dissent is a question of minor importance; and I can attest, as far
as my knowledge extends, that their paramount anxiety is to promote
the spiritual and eternal benefit of those to whom the donation is
given, not to augment their relative numbers."
"But I think that every Churchman ought to support the church of
which he is a member."
"And do you imagine," replied Mr. Stevens, "that the circulation of
the Scriptures without note or comment will endanger the safety of
the church? What is this but virtually acknowledging that our church
is not established on the foundation of the apostles and prophets?"
"I do not intend to insinuate that it is not supported by the
authority of the Scriptures, but still I think that if the Book of
Common Prayer be circulated with the Bible, the attachment of the
people for the church is more likely to be preserved."
"But," said Mr. Lewellin, "this will involve a concession which
probably you will not like to place on record; it is conceding that
the Bible alone will not support your church, but that it must stand
indebted to the Book of Common Prayer; a concession from which, I am
sure, my friend Mr. Stevens will dissent."
"Oh! Mr. Stevens," said Mr. Roscoe, with a smile of good-nature, "is
more than half a Dissenter already; and I often tell him that he
will soon become as zealous as the strictest of the sect. There is
a substantial proof of my assertion" (pointing to the chapel, which
was visible from the room in which we were sitting).
"Ah! friend Roscoe, I know you do not like my chapel, but I hope
that I shall see you there the next time I have a charity sermon
for Mrs. Stevens' Sunday-school. Your friend, Mr. Green, was there
the other Sunday evening, and he has called on me since to say that
he shall be happy to co-operate with me in promoting the moral
welfare of the poor people in this neighbourhood; and who knows but
your prejudices may ere long give way, and that we may all act in
concert!"
"Yes, I heard of his having been at your chapel, and I must confess
that I was astonished. Why, no man has talked more against your
irregularities than he has; but now, such is the inconstancy of
man, he is become an advocate of your opinions. But I am too old
to change, and too much attached to consistency to deviate from
the course I have followed for so many years. Even the eloquence
of Mrs. Stevens, and that eloquence I know is powerful, would fail
in producing any effect on my mind. I have many objections against
educating the children of the poor, and more against worshipping in
any other place than the Established Church, and I think that no
force of argument would be sufficiently strong to overpower them."
"There are," said Mr. Lewellin, "the objections of prejudice, and
there are the objections of reason; and though it is not always
in our power to draw the line of distinction between them, yet we
should attempt it. I lay it down as an axiom, which is founded
in the very constitution of the human mind, that a child cannot
discharge his duty till he knows what that duty is; he cannot
know it till he is taught it; and the earlier the information is
communicated, the sooner shall we secure his obedience, and the more
uniform it is likely to become. Hence the necessity and utility of
Sunday-schools."
I had hitherto sat silent, but now I related the conversation I had
had with the little boy[7] whom I accidentally met in one of my
morning rambles.
[7] See page 43.
"The shrewd intelligence of this boy may be a solitary instance,"
said Mr. Roscoe; "but I fear that the plan will be found productive
of fatal consequences. Our poor population will grow genteel in
their habits; proud and discontented, and unwilling to discharge the
duties of their station; and by being taught to read, will become
either religious disputants or avowed infidels."
"No, this is not a solitary instance of the utility of
Sunday-schools. I can give many others." I then described the scene
which I witnessed in the woodman's cottage, narrating, at the same
time, the conversation which passed between myself and his dying
child.[8] As I was telling this tale, a tear dropped from the eye of
Miss Roscoe, and her countenance beamed with delight.
[8] See page 105.
"Ah! how I should like to have witnessed such a scene--a little girl
languishing into life."
"Indeed, my Sophia," said Mr. Roscoe, with a tone somewhat harsh,
"I should not like for you to have been present. This artificial
excitement of the passions--this effervescence of feeling in the
bosom of a child in the near approach of death, is no recommendation
of the plan by which the effect is produced."
"Indeed, papa, I should like to have been present; it must have been
a noble sight to witness a child rising to the contemplation of a
state of future happiness; to have beheld the involuntary movements
of her soul towards the source of all blessedness; and to have heard
her speak in terms so delightful of the love of Christ, as the first
moving cause of her love to him. I have seen many sights, but this
surpasses all, possessing a radiance of glory which casts a dim
shade on every other."
These remarks, which were made with a singular emphasis of tone,
produced a powerful effect on the whole party; and though Mr. Roscoe
was evidently displeased with the sentiments which they conveyed,
yet he was delighted with the graceful vivacity of spirit with which
they were expressed.
Mrs. Roscoe, who had taken no part in the conversation, now observed
that she had no doubt but there were good and bad of all sorts, and
that she thought every person ought to be left to choose his own
religion; _only they should take care not to choose that religion
which made them miserable_. Addressing herself to Mrs. Stevens, "I
think a little religion a very good thing; and as our Maker has
given us one day out of the seven to be religious in, I think that
is quite enough; I should not like to be obliged to think and talk
about religion all the week, and I often wonder how it is that you,
who have so much of it at Fairmount, are not become weary of it
altogether!"
"Why, the reason is, we love it; and, you know, people do not grow
weary of that on which their affections are placed."
"But we are commanded 'not to be righteous over-much!'"
"We are so commanded; but we should be cautious lest we give a wrong
meaning to that expression. Do you think it possible that we can
love God too much; that we can love the Redeemer too much; that
we can be too much attached to the great principles of justice,
benevolence, or moral purity?"
"O no, certainly not; but then I think it possible for us to
think and talk so much about religion as to render ourselves
uncomfortable. Now I have heard some religious people speak with
rapture about the happiness which they expect to enjoy in heaven,
but as I know we cannot enter heaven till we leave earth, and that
we must die first, I never make that the subject of conversation,
or even reflection; for I always find that it casts a gloom over my
mind, and makes me low-spirited."
"But ought we not, Madam, to prepare for death before it comes?"
"O yes, we ought to make our peace with God, certainly; and, as he
is so merciful, he will be sure to give us time for it."
"What time did he give to Miss Walcote, who expired just as she had
left the card-table?"
"To be sure that was a frightful event; but you know she was a most
accomplished young lady, and had a good heart."
"Yes, Madam, she was amiable and accomplished; but how awful was
it to pass from such scenes of human folly to the judgment-seat of
Christ!--one moment shuffling the cards, the next listening to the
final sentence, 'Come, ye blessed,' or 'Depart, ye cursed.'"
MISS ROSCOE.
There are periods in the history of life which give birth to
events of such a peculiar order, that they not only contribute
materially to our future happiness, but exert a powerful influence
in the formation and in the complexion of our character. We are
accidentally thrown into the company of a stranger; the stranger
becomes a companion, the companion a friend; the friend is
powerfully imbued with the spirit of Christ, capable of instructing
and consoling us in seasons of perplexity and depression; and though
we may not notice the original moving cause of the interview, yet
the consequences resulting from it may be felt through life, and in
another and better world.
It was the privilege of Miss Roscoe, when labouring under her mental
depression, to find in Mrs. Stevens a friend eminently qualified
not only to impart the sympathies of friendship, but to administer
the consolations of religion. As she had passed through the same
tumultuous and darkened scene, she knew how to guide the footsteps
of another; and having "tasted that the Lord is gracious," and felt
the moral efficacy of his death, she could speak on these sacred
themes with a peculiar force of impression. Her skill in introducing
religious subjects in conversation was great, and her news were
clear and comprehensive. She minutely studied the peculiarities of
the human character; observed the times, and seasons, and forms
of its development; and while she rarely left an individual or a
company without dropping some appropriate remark, she never obtruded
her sentiments so as to make them unwelcome.
As Mrs. Stevens was walking one evening to her favourite retreat for
meditation, she saw Miss Roscoe approaching, and after exchanging
the customary salutations, the conversation turned on the subject of
religion and a future state.
"My mind," said Mrs. Stevens, "has been dwelling with more than
ordinary delight on the immortality of the soul. Immortality is the
grand prerogative of man. He lives amidst the decay of his nature,
survives his own dissolution, and lives for ever."
"How few," replied Miss Roscoe, "are impressed by this grand
subject. Here and there I meet with an individual who is alive to
the powers of the world to come; but the vast majority move onwards
to the tomb, as though that receptacle of death was to terminate
their existence. To me immortality is alternately a pleasing, and an
awful theme of meditation. There are seasons when it is invested
with a radiant brightness, which almost entrances my soul, and I am
eager to join the general assembly of the redeemed; but at other
seasons my mind recoils from the thought of dying, and I ask, in
terror--