A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY - Edward Payson Roe (best color ebook reader TXT) 📗

Time To Time

How He Behaves; But Say Nothing Of This To Him. If He Gets At His Old

Tricks, Discharge Him At Once; But If He Shows The Right Spirit, I Wish

To Know It."

 

 

Chapter XXXV ("That Sermon Was A Bombshell")

The Following Sabbath Morning Smiled so Brightly That One Might Be

Tempted to Believe That There Was No Sin And Misery In the World, And

That Such A Church As Mrs. Arnot Condemned was An Eminently Proper

Organization. As The Congregation Left Their Elegant Homes, And In

Elegant Toilets Wended their Way To Their Elegant Church, They Saw

Nothing In the Blue Sky And Sunshine To Remind Them Of The Heavy Shadows

Brooding Over The Earth. What More Was Needed than That They Should Give

An Hour To Their Aesthetic Worship, As They Had Done In the Past When

The Weather Permitted, And Then Return To Dinner And A Nap And All The

Ordinary Routine Of Life? There Were No "Beasts At Ephesus" To Fight

Now. The Times Had Changed, And To Live In this Age Like An Ancient

Christian Would Be Like Going To Boston On Foot When One Might Take A

Palace Car. Hundreds Of Fully Grown, Perfectly Sane People Filed into

The Church, Who Complacently Felt That In attending Service Once Or

Twice A Week, If So Inclined, They Were Very Good Christians. And Yet,

Strange To Say, There Was A Conspicuous Cross On The Spire, And They Had

Named their Church "St. Paul'S."

 

 

 

St. Paul! Had They Read His Life? If So, How Came They To Satirize

Themselves So Severely? A Dwarf Is The More To Be Pitied if Named after

A Giant.

 

 

 

It Was Very Queer That This Church Should Name Itself After The

Tent-Maker, Who Became All Things To All Men, And Who Said, "I Made

Myself Servant Unto All That I Might Gain The More."

 

 

 

It Was Very Unfortunate For Them To Have Chosen This Saint, And Yet The

Name, Saint Paul, Had A Very Aristocratic Sound In hillaton, And Thus

Far Had Seemed peculiarly Fitted to The Costly Edifice On Which It Was

Carved.

 

 

 

And Never Had The Church Seemed more Stately Than On This Brilliant

Sabbath Morning, Never Had Its Elegance And That Of The Worshippers

Seemed more In harmony.

 

 

 

But The Stony Repose And Calm Of Their Gothic Temple Was Not Reflected

In The Faces Of The People. There Was A General Air Of Perturbation And

Expectancy. The Peculiar And Complacent Expression Of Those Who Are

Conscious Of Being Especially Well Dressed and Respectable Was

Conspicuously Absent. Annoyed, Vexed, Anxious Faces Passed into The

Vestibule. Knots Of Twos, Threes, And Half-Dozens Lingered and Talked

Eagerly, With Emphatic Gestures And Much Shaking Of Heads. Many Who

Disliked rough Weather From Any Cause Avoided their Fellow-Members, And

Glided hastily In, Looking Worried and Uncomfortable. Between The

Managing Officers, Who Had Felicitated themselves On Having Secured a

Congregation Containing The _Creme De La Creme_ Of The City, On One

Hand, And The Disquieted mr. Blakeman, Who Found The Church Growing

Uncomfortably Cold, On The Other, Mrs. Arnot'S Words And Acts And The

Minister'S Implied pledge To Bring The Matter Squarely To An Issue, Had

Become Generally Known, And A Foreboding as Of Some Great Catastrophe

Oppressed the People. If The Truth Were Known, There Were Very General

Misgivings; And, Now That The People Had Been Led to Think, There Were

Some Uncomfortable Aspects To The Question. Even That August Dignitary

The Sexton Was In a Painful Dilemma As To Whether It Would Be Best To

Assume An Air Of Offended dignity, Or Veer With These Eddying and

Varying Currents Until Sure From What Quarter The Wind Would Finally

Blow. He Had Learned that It Was Mrs. Arnot Whom He Had Twice Carelessly

Motioned with His Thumb Into A Back Seat, And He Could Not Help

Remarking To Several Of The More Conservative Members, That "It Was Very

Unjust And Also Unkind In mrs. Arnot To Palm Herself Off On Him As An

Ordinary Pusson, When For A Long Time It Had Been The Plainly Understood

Policy Of The Church Not To Encourage Ordinary Pussons."

 

 

 

But The Rumor That Something Unusual Was About To Take Place At St.

Paul'S Brought Thither On This Particular Sabbath All Kinds And

Descriptions Of People; And The Dignified functionary Whose Duty It Was

To Seat Them Grew So Hot And Flustered with His Unwonted tasks, And Made

Such Strange Blunders, That Both He And Others Felt That They Were On

The Verge Of Chaos. But The Most Extraordinary Appearing Personage Was

No Other Than Mr. Jeremiah Growther; And, As With His Gnarled cane He

Hobbled along At Haldane'S Side, He Looked for All The World As If Some

Grotesque And Antique Carving Had Come To Life And Was Out For An

Airing. Not Only The Sexton, But Many Others, Looked askance At The

Tall, Broad-Shouldered youth Of Such Evil Fame, And His Weird-Appearing

Companion, As They Walked quite Far Up The Aisle Before They Could Find

A Seat.

 

 

 

Many Rubbed their Eyes To Be Sure It Was Not A Dream. What Had Come

Over The Decorous And Elegant St. Paul'S? When Before Had Its Dim,

Religious Light Revealed such Scenes? Whence This Irruption Of Strange,

Uncouth Creatures--A Jail-Bird In a Laborer'S Garb, And The Profane Old

Hermit, Whom The Boys Had Nicknamed "Jerry Growler," And Who Had Not

Been Seen In church For Years.

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot, Followed by Many Eyes, Passed quietly Up To Her Pew, And

Bowed her Head In prayer.

 

 

 

Prayer! Ah! In their Perturbation Some Had Forgotten That This Was The

Place Of Prayer, And Hastily Bowed their Heads Also.

 

 

 

Mr. Arnot Had Been Engaged in his Business To The Very Steps, And Much

Too Absorbed during The Week To Hear Or Heed any Rumors; But As He

Walked up The Aisle He Stared around In evident Surprise, And Gave

Several Furtive Glances Over His Shoulder After Being Seated. As His

Wife Raised her Head, He Leaned toward Her And Whispered:

 

 

 

"What'S The Matter With Jeems? For, If I Mistake Not, There Are A Good

Many Second-Class Saints Here To-Day." But Not A Muscle Changed in mrs.

Arnot'S Pale Face. Indeed, She Scarcely Heard Him. Her Soul Was And Had

Been For Several Days In the Upper Sanctuary, In the Presence Of God,

Pleading With Him That He Would Return To This Earthly Temple Which The

Spirit Of The World Had Seemingly Usurped.

 

 

 

When Dr. Barstow Arose To Commence The Service, A Profound Hush Fell

Upon The People. Even His Face And Bearing Impressed and Awed them, And

It Was Evident That He, Too, Had Climbed some Spiritual Mountain, And

Had Been Face To Face With God.

 

 

 

As He Proceeded with The Service In tones That Were Deep And Magnetic,

The Sense Of Unwonted solemnity Increased. Hymns Had Been Selected which

The Choir Could Not Perform, But Must Sing; And The Relation Between The

Sacred words And The Music Was Apparent. The Scripture Lessons Were Read

As If They Were A Message For That Particular Congregation And For That

Special Occasion, And, As The Simple And Authoritative Words Fell On The

Ear The General Misgiving Was Increased. They Seemed wholly On Mrs.

Arnot'S Side; Or, Rather, She Was On Theirs.

 

 

 

When, At Last, Dr. Barstow Rose, Not As A Sacred orator And Theologian

Who Is About To _Deliver_ A Sermon, But Rather As An Earnest Man,

Who Had Something Of Vital Moment To Say, The Silence Became Almost

Oppressive.

 

 

 

Instead Of Commencing By Formally Announcing His Text, As Was His

Custom, He Looked silently And Steadily At His People For A Moment, Thus

Heightening Their Expectancy.

 

 

 

"My Friends," He Began Slowly And Quietly, And There Was A Suggestion Of

Sorrow In his Tone Rather Than Of Menace Or Denunciation; "My Friends, I

Wish To Ask Your Calm And Unprejudiced attention To What I Shall Say

This Morning. I Ask You To Interpret My Words In the Light Of The Word

Of God And Your Own Consciences; And If I Am Wrong In any Respect I Will

Readily Acknowledge It. Upon A Certain Occasion Christ Said To His

Disciples, 'Ye Know Not What Manner Of Spirit Ye Are Of'; And He At Once

Proved how Widely His Spirit Differed from Theirs. They Accepted the

Lesson--They Still Followed him, And Through Close Companionship

Eventually Acquired his Merciful, Catholic Spirit. But At This Time They

Did Not Understand Him Nor Themselves. Perhaps We Can Best Understand

The Spirit We Are Of By Considering His, And By Learning To Know Him

Better Whom We Worship, By Whose Name We Are Called.

 

 

 

"During The Past Week I Have Been Brought Face To Face With The Christ

Of The Bible, Rather Than The Christ Of Theology And Philosophy, Who Has

Hitherto Dwelt In my Study; And I Have Learned with Sorrow And Shame

That My Spirit Differed widely From His. The Christ That Came From

Heaven Thought Of The People, And Had Compassion On The Multitude. I Was

Engrossed with My Sermons, My Systems Of Truth, And Nice Interpretations

Of Passages That I May Have Rendered more Obscure. But I Have Made A Vow

In His Name And Strength That Henceforth I Will No Longer Come Into This

Pulpit, Or Go Into Any Other, To Deliver Sermons Of My Own. I Shall No

Longer Philosophize About Christ, But Endeavor To Lead You Directly To

Christ; And Thus You Will Learn By Comparison What Manner Of Spirit You

Are Of, And, I Trust, Become Imbued with His Spirit. I Shall Speak The

Truth In love, And Yet Without Fear, And With No Wordy Disguise.

Henceforth I Do Not Belong To You But To My Master, And I Shall Present

The Christ Who Loved all, Who Died for All, And Who Said To All,

'Whosoever Will, Let Him Come!'

 

 

 

"You Will Find My Text In the Gospel Of St. John, The Nineteenth Chapter

And Fifth Verse:

 

 

 

"'Then Came Jesus Forth, Wearing The Crown Of Thorns And The Purple

Robe. And Pilate Saith Unto Them, Behold The Man!'

 

 

 

"Let Us Behold Him To-Day, And Learn To Know Him And To Know Ourselves

Better. If We Discover Any Sad And Fatal Mistake In our Religious Life,

Let Us Correct It Before It Is Too Late."

 

 

 

It Would Be Impossible To Portray The Effect Of The Sermon That

Followed, Coming, As It Did, From A Strong Soul Stirred to Its Depths By

The Truth Under Consideration. The People For The Time Being Were Swayed

By It And Carried away. What Was Said Was Seen To Be Truth, Felt To Be

Truth; And As The Divine Man Stood Out Before Them Luminous In his Own

Loving and Compassionate Deeds, Which Manifested his Character And The

Principles Of The Faith He Founded, The Old, Exclusive, Self-Pleasing

Life Of The Church Shrivelled up As A Farce And A Sham.

 

 

 

"In Conclusion," Said Dr. Barstow, "What Was The Spirit Of This Man When

He Summoned publicans And Fishermen To Be His Followers? What Was His

Spirit When He Laid His Hand On The Leper? What, When He Said To The

Outcast, 'Neither Do I Condemn Thee; Go And Sin No More'? What, When To

The Haughty Pharisees, The Most Respectable People Of That Day, He

Threatened, 'Woe Unto You!'

 

 

 

"He Looked after The Rich And Almost Perfect Young Man, By Whom He Was

Nevertheless Rejected, And Loved him; He Also Said To The Penitent

Thief, 'To-Day Thou Shalt Be With Me In paradise.' His Heart Was As

Large As Humanity. Such Was His Spirit.'"

 

 

 

After A Moment'S Pause, In which There Was A Hush Of Breathless

Expectancy, Dr. Barstow'S Deep Tones Were Again Heard. "God Grant That

Henceforth Yonder Doors May Be Open To All Whom Christ Received, And

With The Same Welcome That He Gave. If This Cannot Be, The Name Of St.

Paul, The Man Who 'Made Himself The Servant Unto All That He Might Gain

The More,' Can No Longer Remain Upon This Church Save In mockery. If

This Cannot Be, Whoever May Come To This Temple, Christ Will Not Enter

It, Nor Dwell Within It.'"

 

 

 

The People Looked at Each Other, And Drew A Long Breath. Even Those Who

Were Most In love With The Old