ministers have stood too much on their social and worldly dignity: they
have made too much of the _man_, and too little of the _office_. It's
different now almost every where. But you see, sir, this just separated
them from the tradespeople, but it didn't separate them from the poor.
They didn't feel their pride wounded when they took the horny hand of
the labourer; but it was a greater trial of humility to shake hands with
the tradesman over the counter, and to go and sit down in the parlour
behind the shop, in the same friendly way in which they visited the poor
cottagers. Then, you know, sir, there were many other ways in which this
class was neglected: _we_ think it was lest too great attention should
lead to too great familiarity. The wealth and education of a tradesman
perhaps sometimes made his social position border too closely on that of
the Church minister, and perhaps the minister felt it his duty carefully
to guard the narrow barrier; but, oh, dear me, sir, what is all that
compared with the work God has given him to do! I don't think that one
who has the salvation of his people at heart will stop to consider
whether a friendly, faithful pastoral visit may or may not result in a
more familiar nod from his parishioners for the future. Do you know,
sir, I think this is one of the loose stones in your spiritual House."
"I agree with much that you have said, as regards _past years_: but you
must not put all down to _pride_; you must make more allowances for
men's peculiar habits, and circumstances, and manners. Only just now you
excused a kindred fault in yourself on the ground of private cares and
anxieties. However, our views on this matter are not far apart. I
consider, with you, that a clergyman's _office_ overrides all social
distinctions; and that he should be equally at home at the squire's
mansion, the tradesman's parlour, and the meanest cottage in his parish;
none should be too high for his familiarity, none too low for his
friendship: as Chaucer says, 'the beggar is his brother.' His _social_
position is certainly as nothing compared with his _official_, and
should always be made subservient to it. I cannot understand how any
clergyman, who rightly estimates the high dignity of his sacred office
as a priest, can take a different view from this. However--God be
praised!--times are altered in this respect: the Clergy have thrown away
almost every where that reserve which no doubt lost to the Church many
of the class which the Dissenters have gained. And we see now the good
results; for in thousands of parishes the sons and daughters of these
very people are working hand-in-hand with their Pastor, and are among
the most zealous and faithful children of the Church, bringing again
within the walls of her Temples multitudes of those who have been
fellow-wanderers with themselves, and so helping to repair, one by one,
the many breaches which have, alas! been made in the House of the
Lord."
_CHAPTER XV_
THE FONT
"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of
such is the kingdom of heaven."
Luke xviii. 16.
"There is a Font within whose burnish'd face
The o'erarching pile itself reflected sleeps,
Columns, arch, roof, and all the hallow'd place,
Beauteously mirror'd in its marble deeps;
And holy Church within her vigil keeps:
Thus round our Font on storied walls arise
Scenes that encompass Sion's holy steeps,
Rivers of God and sweet societies,
The mountain of our rest, and Kingdom of the skies."
_The Baptistery._
Illustration: Ancient Font in West Rounton Church
THE FONT
A few weeks after the interview mentioned in the last chapter, the Vicar
preached three sermons from the same text, St. John iii. 5: "Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God." The first sermon was on the _necessity of Baptism_; the second,
on _its benefits_; and the third, on _its mode of administration_,
specially in the case of infants. Mr. Ambrose could not help noticing
that Mr. Dole was on each occasion deeply affected, for he saw tears on
his face, which evidently manifested deep emotion within. He was,
therefore, hardly surprised, when, after his third sermon, a knock at
the vestry-door announced a visit from his parishioner.
"I have listened very attentively to your last three sermons, Mr.
Ambrose," said he, "and the subjects of them have also, as you know, for
a long time past been seriously and prayerfully considered by me; I am
now come to ask you to receive me into the Church by Baptism."
"Have you never yet been baptized, my friend?" inquired the Vicar,
taking his hand in a kind and friendly way.
"No, I have not; when I was an infant, my parents objected to my being
baptized, and since I became a man, I must confess with shame, that I
have never had the _courage_ to go through the service at our _meeting_.
That service, you know, sir, is such as to deter far more courageous
men--and specially women--than I am, and I have always, too, had my
doubts about its propriety."
"I am not surprised at that. I once, when a boy, attended a baptism at
one of your _meetings_, and I shall never forget it; for a more unseemly
spectacle I never witnessed. There were several young men and women
immersed by the preacher, in a large tank of water, in the middle of the
meeting-house. Each was clothed in a flannel garment fitting almost
closely to the body, and the appearance of the first of them was the
signal for a general rush to the best places for seeing; men and boys
climbed noisily over the pews, and some took their places on the backs
of the seats, so as to get a good view; and the whole scene was most
disorderly and irreverent.
"I have explained to you that our own Church also admits of baptism by
_immersion_[70], but it does not _require_ it, nor even recommend it.
Nevertheless occasionally persons desire it; and there are a few
churches, chiefly in Wales, where a large tank of water, as well as a
smaller font, is provided for such special cases. But this mode of
baptizing is not encouraged by the Church, for these among other
reasons:--It is _not necessary_--for 1, the word _Baptism_, in the
original, does not necessarily mean entire immersion; 2, in the absence
of proof to the contrary, we may fairly conclude, from the peculiar
circumstances[71] of the cases, that many of whose baptism we read in
the New Testament were not so immersed; 3, the Church from the earliest
period has not considered immersion as necessary to the validity of
Baptism. It is also _inconvenient_--for 1, in some cases it would be
most difficult to obtain sufficient water for the purpose; 2, in many
cases there would be much risk and danger attending its practice; 3, in
all cases there would be difficulty in securing that solemnity,
propriety, and order so desirable in the administration of this holy
sacrament. But the Baptism of adults, even according to the Church's
ordinary rules, is no small test of courage, as well as sincerity. You
are aware, no doubt, that your own Baptism and reception into the Church
must be _in the face of the congregation_. The law of the Church is very
plain on this point; it distinctly forbids Baptism to be administered
_privately_, either at home or in the Church, 'unless upon a great and
reasonable cause;' and it is much to be regretted that this rule has
ever been departed from."
"Yes, sir, I have well considered that point."
The Vicar remained long that afternoon in the vestry in serious
conversation and earnest prayer with his parishioner. He again went over
the subject of the last three sermons; showing, 1st, how the text could
refer to nothing else than holy Baptism, and that, if it did refer to
it, then no doubt, where it can be had, Baptism must be necessary for
us, in order that we may "enter into the kingdom of God;" 2ndly, that
the _promise_ is as sure as the _warning_; and, 3rdly, that the terms of
the text are _unexceptional_, that they refer to _all mankind_ without
any exception whatever, men, women, and children. In speaking of these
different subjects, of course he had to meet the various objections
which Dissenters are used to adduce; but on all these points it was not
very difficult to satisfy the mind of one who had already freed himself
from the trammels of prejudice, and was earnestly seeking for the
_truth_.
On the following Sunday afternoon therefore, after the second lesson,
Mr. Dole presented himself, with his chosen witnesses, at the Font of
St. Catherine's. The service was a very solemn one, and all the
congregation evidently took the greatest interest in it. Mr. Dole made
the responses in a firm manly voice, its very tone seemed to say, "This
is the result of my deep and honest conviction; I have been wrong, and I
am not ashamed to say so before all those who are here present, from
whom I have so long been separated, but who are henceforth my brethren
in Christ." And then for the first time, he quietly and calmly took his
place on a bench at the west end of the building--a sincere member of
the Christian Church.
It was natural that the Squire and Vicar should have some conversation
after service on an event of so much importance in the village as was
this. They both foretold, and rightly, the downfall of the little
village "Bethel" as soon as its chief supporter had left it.
Its former attendants came back to the Church one by one, till at length
the owner of the building, finding no prospect of receiving his rent,
closed the "Meeting," and appropriated it to another purpose.
The Vicar and Squire were standing near the Font, and the conversation
took its rise from the object before them.
"How often, Mr. Vicar, we find these old Norman Fonts preserved, when
there is hardly another bit of masonry remaining in the church of the
same date."
"Yes; and it is remarkable it should be so, considering the exposed part
of the church in which they are placed, and the perishable stone of
which they are not unfrequently composed; besides which, the carvings
upon them are often of so mysterious and grotesque a character as
naturally to excite the wrath of the Puritan fanatics who so
relentlessly destroyed the beauty of our Houses of God, and 'brake down
all the carved work thereof with axes and hammers.'
"It is very interesting to watch the progress of architectural changes
as delineated on Fonts. Each period of ecclesiastical architecture, as
well in its general features as in its details, is abundantly
illustrated by the carvings and mouldings to be found on Fonts. The
early Fonts were with few exceptions made of stone. Marble was seldom
used till in comparatively recent times. Some of the early Fonts had a
solid leaden bowl, placed on a stone base[72]; I have never seen but one
ancient wooden Font[73]; that was placed on a stone base of the Norman
period, but was itself no doubt much later. The sculpture on very
ancient Fonts, as well as other church carving of the time, sometimes
borrowed its symbolism from the heathen mythology which preceded
it[74]."
Constance Acres, who had been hitherto a quiet listener, here asked Mr.
Ambrose why the Font was always placed near the door of the church.
"It's a natural inquiry, my dear, for one of your age," said the Vicar,
"but the reason is evident. Its position there, at the entrance of the
material fabric, fitly represents _Baptism_ as the outward form of
admission into the Christian Church. The Font, too, thus placed, should
ever remind us, as we enter the church, of the vows and promises made in
our name when first we were brought in our helpless infancy to be
presented to God, and to be made members of Christ through the grace of
our second birth. If people would only accustom themselves to associate
such thoughts with the baptismal Font, then just a glance at it as they
come into the church would be enough to solemnize their minds, and help
to fit them for the sacred services in which they are about to take a
part. It was once the custom, Constance, to place what were called
_stoups_, at the entrances to our churches, and there are still remains
of them at the doors of many old churches. These were small basins, made
of stone, for the purpose of holding water, which--like the water in the
Font--was consecrated by the priest. When persons came into the church,
they dipped a finger in the basin, and crossed their forehead with the
water, just as the priest now crosses the brow of the person who has
been baptized. The _forehead_, you know, is always regarded as the seat
of _shame_ or _courage_[75]; and so the person, when baptized, is signed
with 'the sign of the _Cross_, in token that hereafter he shall _not be
ashamed_ to confess the faith of _Christ crucified_.' The old custom of
frequent crossing with holy water has now for a long time been
discontinued by us, the practice was regarded by many as superstitious,
nor does there appear to be authority for it in the Primitive Church.
The same motive which prompted the use of the _stoup_, however, still
induces some persons to use the sign of the Cross on entering a church:
I do not myself do so; not that I see any harm in the practice in
itself, as it is intended to remind persons of the Sacred Presence to
which they are about to enter, and to drive away worldly thoughts by
this memento of the crucifixion of their Lord; but I think it is
better, in my own case, as some would be offended by it, to try to
accomplish this right object by other means."
"People's minds have very much changed in late years respecting the use
of the Cross," said Mr. Acres. "A few years ago not only was the sign of
the Cross in baptism considered superstitious, but it was considered
even wrong to use it in church architecture, or as an ornament within
the church, or as a part of a memorial in the churchyard; there are few
now, I suppose, who regard such use of the sacred symbol as
superstitious. I was in a bookseller's shop the other day when a
'Baptist' preacher came in to purchase a Prayer Book to present to a
friend; the bookseller said to him, 'Of course that will not suit you,
sir, as it has a Cross upon it.' 'I like the book very much,' was his
reply; 'and as for the Cross, why the Puritans may object to that if
they like, I don't.' But I am of opinion that people are going a little
in the opposite extreme, and, at least as a personal _ornament_, the
Cross is become too common."
"Why _do_ you fall into the popular error, my good friend," said the
Vicar, reprovingly, "of calling these Anabaptist preachers, _Baptists_?
Surely they ought to be called any thing rather than _Baptists_, for
they make more light of Baptism than any other people who can properly
be said to believe in Baptism at all. Do let us call things by their
proper names;--why, to call them _Baptists_, is almost as bad as to call
Roman Catholics, _Catholics_, and so to ignore our own claim to be
members of the Christian Church, because we allow them a name which
would imply that _they_ are the _only_ Church in the world. I need not
tell you that the word ANA_baptist_[76] exactly expresses what they are,
namely, they who _baptize a second time_ those who have already been
baptized in infancy. The term 'Baptist' is far more applicable to Church
people than to them."
"I see, I deserve your rebuke: mine is a mistake too often made.
By-the-bye, Mr. Vicar, I was very pleased to hear your reply to Mr.
Dole, when he inquired what was the _fee_ to be paid for his baptism. I
heard you tell him that the sacraments of the Church were always
_free_."
"Yes, certainly I did; and I confess I cannot understand how any one can
dare, in these days, to demand a fee for Baptism; the claim is as
_illegal_ as it is _unchristian_, and I believe goes far to make the
poor take a low view of this holy rite. I wish, too, I could make the
poor understand that _Baptism_ has nothing to do with _Registration_;
many of the most ignorant of them really regard them as the same thing.
Some of them, too, will persist in thinking that to be _privately
baptized_, is to be '_half baptized_.' Of course _they must be
altogether baptized, or not baptized at all_; but they do not readily
see that the _baptism_ is complete, though the _reception into the
Church_ is not perfected till the service is concluded in the face of
the congregation."
_CHAPTER XVI_
THE PULPIT
"He commanded us to preach unto the people."
_Acts_ x. 42
"The pulpit, therefore (and I name it, fill'd
With solemn awe, that bids me well beware
With what intent I touch that Holy thing),
I say the pulpit (in sober awe
Of its legitimate peculiar powers)
Must stand acknowledged, while the world shall stand,
The most important and effectual guard,
Support and ornament of virtue's cause.
There stands the messenger of truth: there stands
The legate of the skies! His theme divine,
His office sacred, his credentials clear.
By him the violated law speaks out
Its thunders; and by him, in strains as sweet
As angels are, the Gospel whispers peace."
COWPER.
Illustration: Stone Pulpit in Dartmouth Church
THE PULPIT
"I suppose we must not expect you to conform to all our usages at first,
Mr. Dole," said Mr. Acres, as they walked out of the churchyard one
Sunday, after the Afternoon Service; "but no doubt you will soon see the
fitness of our several forms and ceremonies, and then you will do as we
do. Of course these things are--compared with others--of no great
importance; but still it is better, even in small matters, to avoid
differences in our mode of worship."
"Yes, that is so, sir; but you must give me time, and I shall be glad if
you will tell me what you have specially noticed in my manner different
from others? I don't wish to seem particular."
"Well, to be candid then, Mr. Dole, it seems strange to us to see a man
when he comes into church _stand up_ and say his prayers in his _hat_,
instead of reverently _kneeling down_."
"I never thought of that before, but I dare say it does; but then you
know, sir, that is our way at the _meeting_. I see, however, that it is
much more proper in God's house to obey the precept of His Holy Word,
and 'fall low on our knees before His footstool.'"
"Then for the same reason you will, I am sure, see that, instead of
_sitting_ during the other prayers, as I notice you do, it is proper to
_kneel_ at those times too. You will find that all in our church, from
the oldest to the youngest, except poor Old Reynolds and Tom Barham (who
are too infirm to kneel), do so. Then again, when the _Creed_ is said, I
see you do sometimes stand up, but not always; and I notice you don't
turn to the _East_, as all the rest of the congregation do."
"No, I confess I don't do that. I like the idea of repeating our
Confession of Faith whenever we meet at church: I suppose the want of
this practice is one reason why the different leading sects of
Dissenters are constantly being broken up into fresh divisions. Yes,
there is certainly something very supporting to a Christian in so
declaring with the Church every where, his belief in the great doctrines
of their common Faith; but the fact is, I have some scruples about
turning to the East at that time. Even old Mrs. Tubbs, who, you know, is
a Church-woman, says she thinks it is superstitious."
"All I can say, then, is, that Mrs. Tubbs doesn't know the meaning of
the word she uses; and in this she is like a great many more people who
think themselves very wise about these matters. Now, my good friend,
when you next come to church, stand up with the rest, and turn to the
East as the others do, and first say to yourself some such words as
these:--'We all _stand_, to signify that we are _not ashamed_ of our
Belief, and that, if need be, we will manfully defend it. We all _turn
in one direction_, to signify that we all hold _one and the same faith_.
We all turn to the _East_, because there in the east of our churches
every thing reminds us of the presence of Him in whom we profess our
belief; because there, in remembrance of Him, we celebrate the highest
and most sacred mysteries of our Faith; and because the East specially
reminds us of the holy life, the Divine teaching, the miracles, the
suffering, the death of our Blessed Lord--"the _Sun_ of Righteousness,"
"the _Day-spring_ from on high"--_in the East_[77].' Do this, Mr. Dole,
and you will never again be disposed to regard this custom as
superstitious. Why, some people even think it is superstitious to bend
the head reverently at the name of Jesus, when it is mentioned in the
Creeds and the other parts of the Service."
"I don't think so, though once I did. Since I have considered more about
it, it has seemed to me that some outward show of reverence at the
mention of the Sacred Name is quite Scriptural[78]. But as I am yet only
a learner about these outward forms, will you kindly tell me, sir,
whether there is any rule of the Church about this custom?"
"The Vicar will be able to answer that better than I can."
"I could not help overhearing our friend's question," said Mr. Ambrose,
"as I was close behind you, and I will answer it at once. The rule of
our Church is very plain on this point; it is this: 'All manner of
persons present shall reverently kneel upon their knees, when the
general Confession, Litany, and other prayers are read; and shall stand
up at the saying of the Belief, according to the rules in that behalf
prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer; and likewise, when in time of
Divine Service the Lord Jesus shall be mentioned, due and lowly
reverence shall be done by all persons present, as it hath been
accustomed: testifying, by these outward ceremonies and gestures, their
inward humility, Christian resolution, and due acknowledgment that the
Lord Jesus Christ, the true eternal Son of God, is the only Saviour of
the world[79].'"
"Thank you, Mr. Ambrose, nothing could be plainer, or more reasonable
than that direction; but, you see, I have for so many years _sat under_
Mr. Scole, who never taught us any thing of this sort, that you will
forgive me if I seem a little more ignorant than those who have been all
the time _sitting under_ you."
"What do you mean by 'sitting under,' my friend?" said the Vicar, very
innocently.
"I mean _hearing you preach_," was Mr. Dole's reply. "It's a curious
expression, now I come to think about it."
"It certainly is so, and the meaning of it is not very clear. But in our
Church we don't talk about _sitting under_, or _hearing_ this or that
preacher. We simply say we attend this or that church, as the case may
be. And the reason is, that--although very important in its proper
place--we consider preaching of little moment (and the preacher of far
less), when compared with the other objects of Christian
worship,--_Prayer_ and _Praise_. We look upon God's House as
pre-eminently 'a House of Prayer.'"
"Well, I do think we used to make too much of the sermon at the meeting;
and I remember all our conversation afterwards was about the sermon or
the preacher. One Sunday we had a young gent. from London, Mr. Sweetly,
to preach, and our people never ceased to talk about him. I believe,
however, none of them recollected a word he said; but they could
remember well enough 'his lovely voice,' and 'how nice he looked in his
beautiful black silk gown' (you know, sir, our people always preach in
black gowns), 'and those charming lavender gloves! and then the sweetest
embroidered white lawn pocket-handkerchief imaginable!' It had just been
presented to him, he told me, by a young lady--Miss Angelina
Gushing--who sat under him at his London meeting-house. I never was a
preacher-worshipper myself, sir."
"Save me from the man with the _lavender gloves and the white
embroidered pocket-handkerchief_, I say," said Mr. Acres. "If there is
one thing in nature I shrink from more than another, it is a _fop_, and
a _fop_ in the pulpit is beyond endurance."