To walk the studious cloisters pale,
And love the high embowed roof,
With antique pillars, massy proof,
And storied windows, richly dight,
Casting a dim religious light.
There let the pealing organ blow,
To the full-voiced quire below,
In service high, and anthems clear,
As may with sweetness, through mine ear,
Dissolve me into ecstasies,
And bring all Heaven before mine eyes."
_Il Penseroso._
Illustration: Icklesham Church
THE ORGAN-CHAMBER.
"And so, Harry, my boy, you have really made up your mind to be a
chorister?" said Mr. Ambrose to old Matthew's grandson, one Sunday
morning.
"Yes, if you please, sir," was his reply. "Grandfather says he should
like me to be one."
"And you wish it yourself, do you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. You are a well-conducted boy, and God has given you a good
musical voice, so we shall be very pleased to have you amongst us. But
you must never forget that there is not only a high honour, but also a
very solemn responsibility connected with the office of a chorister.
Always remember, then, that you are in a very especial way _God's
servant_, that His eye is upon you, and that He will expect you to do
your duty in the _very best way you possibly can_. You must _sing and
give praise with the best member that you have_[163]--that is, you must
devote to God's praise and glory the very best service you can render.
You are a little boy to talk to about setting a good example to a
congregation, composed for the most part of persons so much older than
yourself, but yet that is one of your chief duties. When you are in the
choir, the eyes of all the congregation are upon you, and they should
not only _hear_ you singing as well as you can, and so be led themselves
to join heartily in the musical parts of the service, but also _at all
other times_ they should _see_ you reverent and devout in your conduct;
and be sure, my boy, this good and serious behaviour of yours will have
its influence upon others, though perhaps they may be hardly conscious
of it. Now there is enough in this to make you very serious, but yet the
thought that God permits you in your young years thus to help in
promoting His glory, and to be such a blessing to your fellow-creatures,
should make you very happy and very thankful to Him." ...
Before the commencement of the Morning Prayers little Harry was solemnly
admitted a member of the choir. The ceremony was a very simple, but yet
a very solemn one. On this occasion the usual order of entering the
church was reversed. Mr. Ambrose came first, then the eight senior
members of the choir, then the seven boy choristers, and last came
Harry. All wore their surplices except Harry, and he carried his new
little surplice on his arm. During the procession solemn music was
played on the organ. As soon as it ceased, all knelt down to say their
private prayers, Harry kneeling on a cushion prepared for him at the
entrance to the chancel. It was the custom at St. Catherine's for all
the congregation to stand up when the priest and choir entered; which
custom, besides being a mark of respect for His presence to whom they
were about to dedicate their worship and service, had this
advantage--that it induced all to say their private prayers at the same
time, and thus avoided much confusion; it tended also to prepare the
mind _at once_ to enter into the spirit of the _public_ service.
After a short pause, Mr. Ambrose read a portion of the third chapter of
the first book of Samuel. He then addressed Harry in these words:--
"Henry, before I proceed to admit you a member of the choir of this
church, you must promise, before God and this congregation, that in the
solemn office on which you are about to enter, you will always strive
above all things to promote His glory. Do you so promise?"
Little Harry, in a timid, trembling voice, answered, "I do so promise."
The Vicar and choir then sang, alternately, the following sentences:--
_Priest._--"Our help is in the name of the Lord;"
_Choir._--"Who made heaven and earth."
_P._--"O Lord, bless and keep this Thy servant;"
_C._--"Who putteth his trust in Thee."
_P._--"Accept his service in this Thy House;"
_C._--"And make the voice of Thy praise to be glorious."
_P._--"Lord, hear our prayer;"
_C._--"And let our crying come unto Thee."
Mr. Ambrose then read these verses:--
"And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy
place--also the Levites, which were the singers, all of them of Asaph,
of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed
in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the
east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests
sounding with trumpets:--it came even to pass as the trumpeters and
singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and
thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets
and cymbals, and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For
He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was
filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests
could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the
Lord had filled the house of God[164]."
The choir then sang, "Glory be to Thee, O God," during which time the
senior choir boy led little Harry into the middle of the choir, where he
knelt down on a cushion prepared for him.
Mr. Ambrose then said this prayer: "O most merciful Father, before whom
'Samuel ministered, being a child, girded with a linen ephod,' give, we
pray Thee, to this Thy youthful servant such gifts as shall enable him
to sing Thy praise, and promote Thy glory in this Thy Temple, and grace
to worship Thee acceptably in the beauty of holiness, and to adorn the
doctrine of Christ his Saviour in all things. Amen."
Harry then stood up, and as Mr. Ambrose placed on him his little
surplice, he said,--
"Henry, I robe you in this surplice in token that you are now set apart
to be a chorister, and, together with those around you, to assist in the
high and glorious work of leading the praises of God in this church: let
the whiteness of this robe always remind you of that purity which should
mark the service you here offer up to God. I pray you never, either
here or elsewhere, to disgrace this robe of your solemn office. What
you sing with your lips believe in your heart, and what you believe in
your heart fulfil in your life; and may God so bless and protect you,
that when this life is ended, you may join that angel choir who in robes
of white sing before the Throne, 'Glory to God and to the Lamb for ever
and ever.' Amen."
The new chorister then took his place in the choir, whilst the organ
almost thundered the following chorus, in which all joined:--
"O Great and Mighty God, with angels and archangels we laud and magnify
Thy glorious name. Amen."
The usual morning service then proceeded. Many eyes were fixed on the
earnest, thoughtful little face that appeared for the first time in the
choir; and with not a little pardonable pride did old Matthew watch the
hearty efforts of his grandson to fulfil the promise he had just made.
It had long been a custom for the Vicar and Mr. Mendles, the organist,
to partake of a late meal at the Hall when their Sunday duties were
ended; and on this Sunday evening the Squire accompanied them home from
church.
"Our little friend," said he, "will be quite an acquisition to the
choir; he has a very sweet voice."
"Yes, he has," replied the Vicar; "and what is of no less importance, he
is sure to conduct himself well. But, for that matter, I have no reason
to complain of any one of our choir; for, thanks to Mr. Mendles, and to
their own sense of propriety, I don't believe there is a better
conducted choir in any parish than ours."
"That is very much owing to your allowing no men to be there who are not
communicants."
"That's a good rule, no doubt, and accounts, perhaps, more than any
thing for their reverent behaviour. You well know, Mr. Mendles, there
was little reverence enough once."
"The great difficulty," said Mr. Mendles, "is to persuade the choir that
they should sing to God, _with_ the congregation, not _to_ the
congregation. I strive both to learn myself, and to teach them, that our
singing should be _worship_, not the mere exhibition of _talent_, and
that we ought to rejoice when the congregation _join in_, not when they
only _listen to_ our hymns and chants. I believe we have now learnt the
lesson, and are the happier for it."
"And we all feel the benefit of that lesson too," said the Vicar, "for
whereas formerly nothing but flashy tunes which enabled them to show off
their own talent would please the choir, we have now, thank God, a
solemn and devotional character in the music of our liturgical services,
and a joyful gladness in the music of our hymns--equally far removed
from levity and from mournfulness--which, with our praises and our
prayers, seem to float up our very souls to heaven."
"I think we must attribute the success of our musical services in some
measure to the new position of the organ, must we not, Mr. Mendles?"
said the Squire.
"Most certainly. There can be no doubt that the most convenient position
for the organ-chamber is either on the north or south side of the
chancel; or, if the organ is divided, on both sides. It is a misfortune
that, as organs were but little known when most of our old churches were
erected[165], we find no fitting place provided for them in the original
structure. There is, however, no excuse for our modern architects who
are guilty of such an omission; and it is a matter of surprise to me
that they do not make the organ-chamber a feature of more prominence and
greater beauty, both externally and internally, than they are accustomed
to do."
"True," said the Squire; "specially as in our days the organ is regarded
as all but a necessity in every church. Certainly, there is no musical
instrument so suitable for congregational worship, for whilst it
represents all kinds of music, it exactly realizes the description given
in the account of the dedication of the temple which Mr. Ambrose read
this morning, and brings together the cymbals and the psalteries and the
harps, and the trumpeters and the singers '_as one_.'
"It is a curious fact--is it not, sir?--that whereas the presence of
organs in our churches used to be the source of great offence to
Dissenters in this country, and has recently been the subject of much
dispute among Presbyterian Dissenters, yet you can now hardly find a
Dissenting meeting-house of any size but can boast of its organ, and
often a very good one too. Let us hope, Mr. Vicar, that ere long they,
may become reconciled also to other things in our Church which now they
may regard with the same horror with which they once looked upon the
church organ."
_CHAPTER XXVI_
THE VESTRY
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
1 Cor. xiv. 40.
"Avoid profaneness! Come not here.
Nothing but holy, pure, and clear,
Or that which groaneth to be so,
May at his peril farther go."
GEORGE HERBERT.
Illustration: Harpsden Church
THE VESTRY
To the close friendship which existed between the Squire and the Vicar,
constantly cemented by such meetings as we have just described, was
owing, in a considerable degree, the general harmony and goodwill which
made St. Catherine's one of the most peaceful villages in England. When,
many years ago, Mr. Ambrose first became Vicar there, he felt it his
duty to make many changes in a parish which had been long neglected, and
in a church which was almost a ruin. His labours were then regarded with
much suspicion and disfavour; but he had now been long enough resident
in the parish to live down all that hostile feeling. Nevertheless, it
was not all peace at St. Catherine's. From time to time there would be
an importation of cross-grained malcontents, who usually succeeded in
stirring up some parochial strife.
Such had for some time past been the laudable occupation of William
Strike and his too faithful companion, whom, by kind permission of Mr.
Gallio, the registrar, he was allowed to call his wife. He had never
promised to love her, and she had never promised to obey him, and on
these little points each scrupulously maintained a right to act in
perfect independence of the other: nevertheless, they heartily united in
a common effort to instil into the minds of their neighbours a feeling
of hostility to wards the church; and some discord in the parish was the
natural consequence. An opportunity offered on the morning of Easter
Monday for Strike to find a full vent for all his spleen.
It is a sad, sad thought, that at this season of the Christian year,
when all should be peace, the bitterness of party strife should break up
the harmony of so many parishes. But so it is; and so it was at St.
Catherine's; and this one man was at the bottom of all the mischief.
"I am sorry to see you are going to the vestry this morning, William,"
said Mr. Dole, as they met in the village street.
"I've as much right there as you have, I suppose," he replied; "you're
going to support the Vicar, and I'm going to oppose him thick and thin."
"Peace is better than war, William."
"Well, _you_ used to be on our side once, and I should like to know
what's made you turn round?"
"It would take too long to answer that question fully, William. It will
be enough if I tell you that where I thought I knew most, I found myself
all wrong; and the more I thought and inquired, the more convinced I was
that there could be only one true Church committed by Christ to His
Apostles and their successors, and that to separate from that, and cause
division and schism, must be a sin. After long and prayerful
consideration, and many conversations with Mr. Ambrose on the subject, I
was convinced that the sect to which I belonged--and you do still--was
not the one true Church; and so I left it."
"Well, I don't mean to leave it; and I don't mean that the parson shall
have it all his own way in this parish."
Mr. Dole had in vain tried to bring his companion to a better mind when
they reached the vestry[166]. It was a small chamber on the opposite
side of the chancel to the organ[167], and there was a sombreness about
it that harmonized with the solemn use for which it was intended. On the
eastern side were two small windows filled with stained glass, and over
them, in large letters, was the sentence, "Let thy priests be clothed
with righteousness, and let thy saints sing with joyfulness." Between
these two windows stood an oaken table, on which was a small desk or
lectern; and on this, written in beautifully illuminated characters,
were the prayers used by Mr. Ambrose and the choir before and after the
Church services. Before the table was a small embroidered kneeling
cushion for the priest at these times. The parish chest[168], and two
ancient chairs, all of oak and richly carved, completed the furniture of
the vestry; whilst on its walls were hung the surplices of the choir and
the vestments of the priest[169].
The meeting was called together for the double purpose of electing
churchwardens and making a church-rate, and it was soon evident to the
Vicar that Strike and his friends had come determined on a stormy
meeting. But few angry words, however, had been spoken, when Mr. Ambrose
rose and said, "My friends, I had hoped that this meeting would have
been conducted in that spirit of Christian charity and peacefulness
which has been our custom; but as I find this is not to be the case, I
will not allow any part of God's House to be desecrated by the
exhibition of party animosity and angry strife[170]. This vestry is
known to those of you who are associated with me in conducting our
religious services, as the place of holy meditation and solemn prayer;
nor are its associations less sacred to those among you who have come
here, with unquiet consciences or troubled minds, to seek my counsel and
advice. All around us here, my friends, reminds us of the service of a
God of love; so if the Demon of Discord must come into our little
parish, let this place, at least, not be the scene of his unhallowed
presence."
It was then proposed to adjourn the meeting to the house of Mr. Walton;
and he, having both a good heart under his waistcoat, and a large room
in his house, readily agreed to the proposal. He was, moreover, one of
the churchwardens, and, though the village blacksmith, was a man in good
circumstances, and exercised considerable influence for good in the
parish.
Nothing can be less profitable than to read the "foolish talking" which
commonly characterizes a discordant vestry meeting; we will, therefore,
pass that over. The churchwardens were re-elected, and the church-rate
was carried. The Vicar then endeavoured to pour oil upon the troubled
waters by delivering a kind and friendly address, which he ended in
these words: "Mr. Strike tells you that he will always oppose the Church
so long as it is in any way supported by the State. But let me remind
him that the Church did not receive from the State the possessions with
which she is endowed for the maintenance of true religion in this land.
Those were, for the most part, given to our Church by pious men and
women, many hundreds of years ago; and the State, in securing these to
us, is only acting with common honesty, and doing no more for the Church
than it does for every other society--indeed, for every person--in the
country. But Mr. Strike tells you, too, he will not give a penny for
keeping up the fabric of the Church, because he is a Dissenter. Now, my
friends, to take the _very lowest_ view of the Church, and regarding her
temples only as places in which a high standard of _morality_ is set up,
it is surely for the advantage of the _State_, and for the _community_,
that they should be maintained; and, therefore, _all_ should help to
maintain them. 'Yes,' you say, 'but we teach morality, too, in our
little Salem Chapel at Droneworth: why should not our meeting-house be
supported as much as your Church?' My answer is, that your Salem Chapel
may any day share the fate of the Little Bethel Meeting-House that used
to be in our parish. Besides, on your own principles, you cannot accept
State aid to keep it up. Of course I have myself higher reasons for
considering it the duty of the State to secure the proper reparation of
the fabric of our churches; but I have only taken the lowest ground; I
think, however, that even that is firm enough to bear the weight of the
whole argument. But now, my friends, let us part in peace, and let all
angry feeling die away."
"The church-rates will soon be done away with altogether, depend upon
it, sir," shouted Mr. Strike, in a tone which was an evident
protestation against that spirit of peace which Mr. Ambrose was so
anxious should pervade his parish.
"It may be so," said the Vicar; "and if so, I believe and pray that God
will overrule even that for the benefit of His Church."
And so the St. Catherine's vestry ended.
"I am heartily glad," said Mr. Acres to the Vicar, "that we did not have
all that row in the church to-day. Sorry as I am to make Mr. Walton's
house the scene of such discord, yet I am sure he would far rather have
it here than in the church vestry."
"Any where's better than the church," said Mr. Walton, "for such
quarrels as these."
"By the bye," said Mr. Acres, as they both rose to depart, "do you
remember the time when the churchwardens used to retire to the vestry
before the conclusion of the service to count up the alms? We could, you
know, hear the jingling of the money during all the later prayers of the
service, and a most indecent interruption it was. How far more seemly is
your custom of reverently presenting the alms at the altar, where it
remains till the close of the service. And I am so grateful to you for
abandoning that objectionable and most ridiculous custom of holding the
_plates_ at the church door. The custom seemed so completely to do away
with the idea of almsgiving as an _act of worship_. How many a wickedly
grotesque scene has occurred at the door of our own church, plainly
showing that many who contributed their alms simply gave them to Mr.
Walton or Mr. Acres, and least of all thought of giving them _to God_.
Nay, so anxious was dear old Lady Angelina Hilltower and her daughter to
confer upon _us_ equal honour, and to avoid any just cause of jealousy
between us, that they used to create quite a pantomime at the door
whenever there was a collection, by crossing over to put half-a-crown in
each plate, making at the same time a profound obeisance to each of us."
"Yes," said Mr. Acres, "I certainly am glad all that's done away with;
but I'm more glad that at last we have been able to get rid altogether
of the plates for collecting the offertory, and to substitute _Bags_.
There has been some opposition, as you are aware; some pleaded long
custom as a reason for retaining the plates, and some, who were rather
proud of their stereotyped shilling, did not wish their benevolence to
be hidden. In fact all those who _did their alms before men, to be seen
of them_, were of course hostile to the change."
"I know," said the Squire, "that some were at first offended, but none
knew why. I never heard the faintest approach to a reasonable objection
to this plainly scriptural manner of _secret_ almsgiving; nor did I ever
hear an argument of any weight in favour of the plate system, except
that it sometimes forces money from unwilling contributors, and that
argument is too contemptible to notice.
_CHAPTER XXVII_
THE PILLARS
"The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
1 Tim. iii. 15.
"See, the Church her head once more hath lifted;
Seemly order dwells within her gate;
God-sent art adorns her holy precincts,
And no more she lieth desolate.
"What is it that she is saying, brothers?
All the subtle skill of graver's hand,
All the heavenward shafts, and bended arches,
Utter speech to those that understand.
"You can hear them telling some things loudly,
Telling of ungrudging love and care;
But I catch an inner voice that pleadeth
Soft and sweet, like music in the air.
"And it saith,--from every wreathed column,
Every leafy carving, breathing low,--
'Take our message, O ye _living_ temples,
Fold it in your breasts, before ye go.
"'Purge the shrine of your own souls within you
From all stain of pride and sloth and sin,
Grace it with all saintly decoration:
Then your God shall come and dwell within.'"
W. W. H.
Illustration: Church of St. John, Highbridge
THE PILLARS
It was the day before the Festival of the Ascension, and Ascension Day
being not only one of the greatest festivals of the Christian year, but
being, moreover, the day on which the people of St. Catherine's were
used to commemorate with great rejoicing the restoration of their now
beautiful temple, old Matthew and the Vicar were busily engaged
assisting those of the parishioners, old and young, who had the time to
spare and were sufficiently skilful, in decorating the church with
flowers and evergreens.
"I remember, sir, when I was a boy, we used to call those twelve pillars
that the ladies are putting the flowers on, the _twelve Apostles_," said
old Matthew.