Awak'd to hail his glorious light:
Or must my doleful destiny
Be endless night?'"
"That the subject of immortality, preceded by dying, should present
the varying aspect of delight and of terror, is not surprising. Some
are in bondage all their life through fear of death, and others are
_occasionally_ in a state of great alarm; but this proceeds either
from the incorrectness of their views of the economy of revealed
truth, or the weakness of their faith. They look for some degree
of moral perfection in themselves, to which they never attain,
rather than to Jesus Christ, in whom they are accepted as complete;
or they hesitate to place an implicit dependence on his power and
willingness to save them, lest they should be guilty of an act of
presumption. But as the gospel is a revelation of grace to sinners,
and as we are invited in the most encouraging language to receive
it, we ought not to hesitate, or deem it presumptuous to do so. I
remember hearing our venerable minister once conclude a sermon with
this striking remark: 'Are you willing to be saved?' After a short
pause, he added, 'Then Jesus Christ is willing to save you. You and
the Saviour are both of one mind, and who can separate you?'"
"But I fear," said Miss Roscoe, "that I have not yet felt that deep
contrition for sin which is essential to genuine repentance, and
which must precede the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I recently read a sermon, in which the author says, that 'the
sorrow which is connected with true repentance is not only sincere,
but deep and pungent. It not only enters into the heart, but it
penetrates into its inmost recesses, and there lives and reigns. It
not only causes the tear to flow, and the breast to heave with the
bitter emotions of anguish, but it is compared to the most acute
sorrow which can pierce the human bosom; to the sorrow which chills
the heart of a parent as he mourns the loss of a son, of an only
son, of a first-born!' I know I have felt abased and humbled when
reviewing my past life; and silently adore the long-suffering of
God in bearing with me; but I am yet a stranger to that acute and
overwhelming agony of soul which, in the estimation of this writer,
is essential to genuine repentance."
"If, my dear, you have felt sorrow for sin, you need not be
distressed because you have not felt it in its most intense and
agonizing degrees. True repentance does not always burst forth
in bitter lamentations and weeping, leaving the victim of its
infliction an exile from all the comforts of life and all the
promises of mercy--doomed, in his own apprehension, to a more
awful banishment at the day of final decision; but it is often
the silent tear, and the noiseless sigh--the self-loathing of the
soul over its defects--which become daily more and more apparent,
accompanied by an humble and implicit dependence on the death and
mediation of Jesus Christ for pardon and endless life. The author
from whose beautiful sermon you have quoted a passage, remarks
towards the latter end of it, that 'heartfelt sorrow for sin is
not opposed to happiness. The tears of penitence are not tears of
unmingled bitterness. There is a joy connected with them which is
as satisfying and exalting as it is purifying and humbling. God
himself has pronounced the sorrow of the poor in spirit, blessed;
and he has not blessed it in vain. His people taste its sweetness.
Their happiest hours are those which are spent in the exercise of
penitence and faith; and while these graces are in lively exercise,
they may look on the inhabitants of heaven without envy, even
though they may long to participate of their still more elevated
enjoyments.'"
"Such a repentance I am conscious I have felt. I would not return
to my former course of life, even if it were compatible with a
religious profession; for I have lived a life of vanity, minding
earthly things; my intellectual studies were pursued to gratify
pride, which coveted the honour which comes from man; the claims
of God, on the homage and supreme affections of the heart, I have
neglected; the Redeemer I have neither loved nor honoured; I have
spurned from my presence those religious principles which require a
separation from the world, and have uniformly acted as though the
realities of an unseen world were a mere fanciful creation; but now
the delusion has vanished away, and I see with an unveiled face the
supreme importance of those truths and sources of enjoyment which in
the days of my ignorance were concealed from me; and if I have any
regret, it is not because I have discovered the illusion so soon,
but because I did not discover it sooner."
"It is recorded of one of the Roman emperors," said Mrs. Stevens,
that he wept when he saw the statue of Alexander the Great, because
Alexander had conquered the world at a period of life when he had
gained no victory. And if you, my dear, have been later than some
others in making your spiritual discoveries, and in gaining your
spiritual conquests, I hope you will now distinguish yourself by
a decision more firm, and a zeal more ardent, and redeem, for the
honour of the Saviour, the time you have withheld from his service;
and by carrying the principles of your faith to the highest possible
attainments, you will compel others to see the effects which the
grace of God produces in the human character."
On passing within sight of a cottage standing on a slight elevation,
Miss Roscoe said, "That, I believe, is Mrs. Labron's, and I greatly
admire it, it is such a beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture,
my favourite style of building, and its shrubbery and gardens are
laid out and planted with so much taste."
"Yes, my dear, there is great external beauty, but within there is a
sad spectacle of domestic sorrow and moral disfigurement. Her eldest
daughter is rapidly fading away from life, under the withering
influence of that disease which proves fatal to thousands; and I
am informed that, to divert her attention from dying, she spends
the greater part of her time either in reading novels or playing
at cards; and though a minister of Jesus Christ, who has a slight
intimacy with the family, expostulated with her on the impropriety
of devoting herself to such amusements at such an eventful crisis,
yet it made no impression on her; and her mother said, with an
air of apathetic indifference, that as she was passionately fond
of novels and cards, she thought it would be an act of cruelty to
withhold them from her; adding that she had taken the sacrament,
and made her peace with God! and that the physician particularly
requested that no one be permitted to speak to her on religious
subjects."
"This is appalling, truly awful; and yet how many modern Christians
would give it the sanction of their decided approval. The physician
requesting that no one may be permitted to speak to her on
religious subjects! Oh, how cruel! What is this but interdicting
the visit of mercy, and dooming a sinner to pass into the eternal
world unprepared to die? I remember, at an early stage of my
late affliction, the medical attendant urged upon my parents the
necessity of keeping the Bible out of my reach, and they complied
with his request; and that holy book, which reveals life and
immortality, was kept out of my sight. Can you account for this most
astonishing part of their conduct?"
"I can tell you the reason which they assign for it. They, I have no
doubt, will say that the mind of a dying patient ought to be kept
in a state of great composure; and concluding that religion will
agitate and alarm, they forbid all reference to it."
"Poor creatures, how ignorant must they be of the nature and
tendency of pure religious truth! If a person be renewed in the
spirit of his mind, and if he feels the love of God shed abroad in
his heart, there is no subject which will have such a delightful
effect as the immediate prospect of entering heaven. I lately sat
beside the bed of a dying Christian, who, not long before her
departure, after praying in the language of Stephen, 'Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit,' repeated the following lines with an emphasis
and melody of voice which still sounds in my ear:--
'Dissolve Thou the bond that detains
My soul from her portion in Thee:
O strike off these adamant chains,
And set me eternally free.
When that happy moment begins,
Array'd in thy beauties I'll shine;
Nor pierce any more with my sins
The bosom on which I recline.'
And if a person be ignorant of the scheme of salvation which is
revealed in the Scripture, there is no subject which ought to
be pressed more upon his attention. If he have but a short time
to live, no portion of that time ought to be lost. To-day he is
here--to-morrow in eternity. For the physician to interpose, to keep
him in a state of ignorance, is an act of cruelty which no language
can adequately describe; and, notwithstanding the frivolous reasons
which he may assign for his conduct, it is an act for which he will
stand responsible at the last day."
As I was returning from a solitary walk, I accidentally met the
ladies, and on reaching the end of the grove through which we were
passing, we seated ourselves on a garden chair, which stood under
a very fine beech tree, from whence we had a distinct view of the
rectory and its church, and also of Mr. Stevens' unobtrusive chapel.
"These Dissenting chapels," I remarked, "are what may be called
ecclesiastic retreats; spiritual places of refuge for the gospel
when it is driven out of the church."
"They are spiritual Bethels," Miss Roscoe replied, "where God
unexpectedly visits his chosen ones with the manifestation of His
unseen but not unfelt presence; often astonishing and delighting
them; constraining them to exclaim, in the language of the venerable
patriarch, '_Surely the Lord is in this place_.'"
"Yes," said Mrs. Stevens, "and sometimes in these chapels He conveys
the grace of life to the spiritually dead. This reminds me of what I
should have told you before, but it escaped my memory. You know that
we have seen Mrs. Pickford at our chapel several times lately, and
last Sabbath evening, when she was passing my pew after the close
of the service, I spoke to her, expressing the pleasure I felt on
seeing her there; and inquired after the welfare of Mr. Pickford
and the family. She then very modestly, for she appears to be an
amiable woman, referred to the benefit which had resulted from your
visit, and asked me to remind you of your promise to visit them
again."
"I intend to see Mrs. Pickford in the course of the week. I know,
Madam, that you are partial to yon modest-looking chapel, but still,
though its _internal glory_ may be greater than that of the church,
yet it does not form such an imposing object in a piece of scenery."
"I admit that; but it often calls up, in a pious mind, an order of
richer and more hallowed associations, and awakens a more sublime
and elevating class of feeling. There is a church, with its Liturgy
and its white-robed priest, yet from it the gospel is cast out; but
it has taken refuge in what you call our modest-looking chapel,
where it proves to be the power of God to salvation."
"I have been accustomed," said Miss Roscoe, "to attend that church
from my childhood; the gentleman who does duty in it is a learned,
polite, and amiable man; we have often spent many pleasant evenings
together; he excels in music, and has a fine poetic taste; but I
regret to add, he has a strong aversion to evangelical truth. He
came to see me just as I was recovering from my late affliction,
and when I made some reference to the influence which reading
the Bible had over my mind, he said, 'I hope you will be on your
guard, for you are now in great danger of becoming too religious.
The mania has affected many amongst us, but I hope you have virtue
enough to resist it.' He is rather lofty in his spirit, though
very familiar when among the poor. His ideas of the dignity and
excellence of human nature are diametrically opposed to the
scriptural representation; and he asserted in the last discourse I
heard him deliver, that the charge of a universal corruption having
taken place among the members of the human family, was a gross
libel on our virtue. 'There are a few imperfect,' he said, 'yet
they have virtue enough left to atone for their defects; but the
great bulk of mankind are as perfect as their Creator ever intended
they should be.' He then adverted to the evangelical doctrines of
faith, and salvation by grace through the imputed righteousness of
Jesus Christ, which he denounced as corruptions of Christianity,
and warned the people against them, as being more pernicious to
the peace and good order of society than the principles of open
infidelity. On being asked by my father how I liked the discourse, I
replied, 'Not at all, as Mr. Cole not only opposed the Scriptures,
but the Articles of his own church;' and I then quoted the eleventh
Article, which put an end to our conversation. I have not heard him
since; for I think it wrong to sanction by my presence a style of
preaching which is subversive of the entire scheme of salvation."
"It must be painful," I observed, "to be driven from the church
by the introduction of erroneous doctrines; but it must _be more
painful to a conscientious mind to sit and hear them_. Where do you
now attend?"
"Alas! Sir, like the captives of Babylon, I am denied the privilege
of worshipping in the temple, and, like them, I sit and weep over
the desolation of Zion. But He who was a little sanctuary to them in
the season of their captivity, visits me within the retirement of
the closet, by the special manifestations of his holy presence. I
asked permission the other Sabbath to go and hear the venerable Mr.
Ingleby, but I was refused. Oh! this pierced me to the heart."
"But why did your father deny a request so reasonable?"
"He would not have done it if he had not been influenced by others;
for such is the strength of his attachment for me, and such his
devotedness to my happiness, that he has heretofore deemed no
sacrifice too great, nor any indulgence too expensive to promote my
comfort. But the Rev. Mr. Cole and some lay gentlemen have urged
him to interpose his authority, to save me from what they call the
delirium of religion. They tell him that his honour, his peace, and
his influence, are all in jeopardy; and that if I am permitted to go
on in my present course, nothing but inevitable ruin awaits me. By
such stratagems they have induced him to act a part which I know is
repugnant to the generous feelings of his nature; because he told
me, at an early stage of my hallowed impressions, that if I found
peace in religion, he would not presume to interfere."
"This trial," said Mrs. Stevens, "is not joyous, but grievous;
nevertheless, it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Though it comes through a medium which invests it with a peculiar
poignancy, and may throw a gloomy shade over all your hopes of
future comfort, yet the Redeemer says, 'My grace shall be sufficient
for thee, my strength shall be made perfect in thy weakness.' You
have only to act wisely, and with decision; keep your conscience
void of offence towards God and man; demonstrate, by the meekness
of your disposition, and your efforts to please, that your religion
is not the religion of fancy or of passion, but of principle; and
then you will rise above the visible agents who are employed in
conducting the machinery of Providence, to meditate on Him who sits
behind the cloud that conceals Him from our sight, working all
things after the counsel of His own will."
"I have known," I remarked, "some young Christians commence their
religious profession under auspicious influences. They have been
hailed by pious parents and pious friends with acclamations of joy;
the spring-time of their spiritual existence has been free from the
rude blasts of persecution; and they have advanced from stage to
stage, with unobstructed and undiverted steps. I have known others
rocked in the whirlwind, and cradled in the storm. They have had to
contend with the principalities and powers of evil in their high
places. They have been despised and rejected; and the reproaches
of men have fallen upon them. But I generally find that opposition
at the commencement of a religious profession has a beneficial
rather than an injurious tendency. It forces its principles deeper
into the mind. It consolidates them. It gives to them an energy
which ultimately rises superior to resistance; a healthful vigour,
which they rarely attain to when nourished by the fostering hand of
parental solicitude; and it brings them forth into such visible and
powerful manifestations, that even the enemies of our common faith
are compelled to feel
'How awful goodness is!'"
"Yes, Sir," observed Mrs. Stevens, "and we should remember that
those who oppose religion, when it takes possession of an individual
mind, and exerts its influence over the visible actions of the life,
often do it ignorantly. If they knew that they were attempting
to resist the work of God in the new creation of the human soul,
they would cease their opposition. But they do not. They have no
conception of such a thing. They ridicule it as visionary; and
if a person offer to prove, by sober arguments taken from the
Scriptures, or from the Articles of our church, that such a new
creation of the soul is a reality, and that it will develope itself
precisely in that exterior form which they see exhibited in the
conduct of those whom they oppose, yet they will refuse to hear.
Their unfairness to meet the arguments in support of _the reality of
the thing_, I grant, is very censurable; but it must be attributed
to that judicial moral blindness which is one of the consequences
of our apostasy from God, and which calls for the exercise of our
forbearance and our tenderest pity. Hence, when we are reviled
for our religion, we should not revile again; when we suffer, we
should forbear to reproach; and commit our cause to Him who judgeth
righteously."
* * * * *
In the course of the week I availed myself of the opportunity,
during the absence of my esteemed friends from the villa, to go and
take tea at Farmer Pickford's; and I was very much gratified by my
visit. During the evening he made several references to his wife's
attendance at the chapel; and at length he spoke out, by saying,
"Mr. Stevens, I think, is about one of the best of us: he is very
charitable to the poor, and so is his wife; and he is always willing
to do any body a good turn when he can; and my wife says he is a
capital preacher, but I can't think so."
"Have you ever heard him preach?"
"No, Sir, I must have an Oxford or Cambridge man. To speak my mind,
Mr. Ingleby is the preacher for me. I never went into his church
before you took lunch with us, but what you said then inclined me to
go. Why, I would rather hear one of his _sarmunts_, than I would a
score of Parson Cole's. He sends what he says _home here_," laying
his hand on his heart; "but I can get a comfortable nap when Parson
Cole is holding forth. We all go to church now on a Sunday morning,
and I seem to like it; and the youngsters like it, and so do the
sarvants. It helps to keep us in a bit better order. And wife often
tells me she was never so happy in all her life as she is now; and
that makes me feel a bit more comfortable, as I like to see smiling
faces in my homestead."
I listened with some emotions of surprise and delight while he
was running on in his tale of reformation, and, after a little
hesitation, I ventured to propose reading a chapter of the Bible,
and going to prayer.
"Ay, that's right, Sir. That puts me in mind of what I heard my
uncle say, the last time he slept here, and he was as staunch a
Churchman as ever sung a psalm tune: 'Prayer and provender are two
good things; one is good for man, and t'other for beast:' though, I
must say, we ant had much prayer here; worse luck."
I read the second chapter of Ephesians, making a few comments on it,
and then we knelt before the throne of grace; and when this domestic
service was over, I received the hearty hand-shake, and set out to
retrace my steps to Fairmount, which I reached just in time to lead
the devotions of the family; when, having committed ourselves to the
protecting care of our heavenly Father, we retired to rest.
A VILLAGE FUNERAL.
Death is a solemn subject of meditation; and it is one which
presents stronger claims on our attention than any other, because
we all _must die_. If to die were a mere cessation of being; if,
when the mind ceases to think, and the passions cease to glow; if,
when the active and the passive virtues cease to display their moral
beauty and vigour, and when the mantle of mortality falls from off
us, we live only in the recollection of surviving friends, we should
forbear passing a heavy censure on the general indifference which
is manifested towards death and dying. But we live, when dying; we
outlive death, and live for ever. Yes, life and immortality are
brought to light by the volume of inspiration. There we read that
"the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear His voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto
the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation."
Death spares neither age nor rank, talent nor piety. The king of
terrors sways the sceptre of absolute authority over all the living;
none can elude his grasp, nor resist his power. What a scene is
presented where he has achieved a conquest! The sparkling eye
become dim, the instructive lips sealed in perpetual silence; the
ear deaf alike to the voice of friendship and the song of mirth;
and the tabernacle of bliss changed into the house of mourning.
The preparations necessary for the interment keep the mind in a
state of constant agitation; but when these are all adjusted, and
the ministers of death enter to bear away the dear departed to the
distant tomb, then the sobs, and tears, and groans of agonized
survivors, proclaim the greatness of the irreparable desolation.
It was on a still summer evening, as we sat conversing together on
the immortality of the soul, and on the blessedness of the righteous
in the heavenly world, that we received intelligence of the
approaching dissolution of Mrs. Allen. Mrs. Stevens expressed a
desire to see her once more before her decease; and having accepted
my offer to accompany her, we hastened to her lonely dwelling.
[Illustration: THE HOUSE OF MOURNING.
Vol. i. page 187.]
I have often observed, in my intercourse with society, that the
benevolent affections are not cherished exclusively by any class of
its members, but glow in the breasts of all; yet they are usually
most delicate when refined by the hallowed fire of devotional
feeling. On some occasions we see in humble life the tributary tear
paid to departed worth, even where religion has not instilled her
sweetest influences; yet, in general, a degree of insensibility
is manifested which may well excite astonishment. But we felt, on
entering this cottage, that we were indeed in the house of mourning.
The husband, just returned from his hard day's labour, sat in the
window-seat, his mug of ale, and bread and cheese, untouched on the
table beside him; his hand spanned his forehead, concealing his
eyes, and his little boy stood near him, pensive and sad. No voice
spoke, no noise was heard, nor did our entrance disturb the mourner
in his musings. We felt a momentary tremor, under an apprehension
that death had already borne off his captive.
At length Mrs. Stevens said, "Well, Robert, is your wife still in
the body, or in glory?"
He started up, and, as the tear fell on his sun-burnt face, replied,
"She is still with us; but she will soon be gone. She has been
discoursing about you, Ma'am, all day; and she will be very glad to
see you again before she enters into the joy of her Lord."
We went up stairs, and it was evident, from the expression of Mrs.
Allen's countenance, that our visit gave her great delight. She
sat up in bed, supported by pillows; her face glowed with a hectic
flush, her eyes shone with radiant brightness, her voice was clear,
though not strong, and her mind discovered its usual cheerfulness
and vigour.