A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, Edward Payson Roe [top young adult novels TXT] 📗
- Author: Edward Payson Roe
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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
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