He was still sitting at breakfast in his chamber, the next morning,
when the great bell of the cathedral opposite began to ring, and
reminded him that it was Sunday. Ere long the organ answered from
within, and from its golden lips breathed forth a psalm. The
congregation began to assemble, and Flemming went up with them to the
house of the Lord. In the body of the church he found the pews all
filled or locked; they seemed to belong to families. He went up into
the gallery, and looked over the psalm-book of a peasant, while the
congregation sang the sublime old hymn of Martin Luther,
"Our God, he is a tower of strength,
A trusty shield and weapon."
During the singing, a fat clergyman, clad in black, with a white
surplice thrown loosely about him, came pacing along one of the aisles,
from beneath the organ-loft and ascended the pulpit. After the hymn, he
read a portion of Scripture, and then said;
"Let us unite in silent prayer."
And turning round, he knelt in the pulpit, while the congregation
remained standing. For a while there was a breathless silence in the
church, which to Flemming was more solemnly impressive than any audible
prayer. The clergyman then arose, and began his sermon. His theme was
the Reformation; and he attempted to prove how much easier it was to
enter the kingdom of Heaven through the gateways of the Reformed
Evangelical Dutch church, than by the aisles and penitential
stair-cases of Saint Peter's. He then gave a history of the
Reformation; and, when Flemming thought he was near the end, he heard
him say, that he should divide his discourse into four heads. This
reminded him of the sturdy old Puritan, Cotton Mather, who after
preaching an hour, would coolly turn the hour-glass on the pulpit, and
say; "Now, my beloved hearers, let us take another glass." He stole out
into the silent, deserted street, and went to visit the veteran
sculptor Dannecker. He found him in his parlour, sitting alone, with
his psalm-book, and the reminiscences of a life of eighty years. As
Flemming entered, he arose from the sofa, and tottered towards him; a
venerable old man, of low stature, and dressed in a loose white jacket,
with a face like Franklin's, his white hair flowing over his shoulders,
and a pale, blue eye.
"So you are from America," said he. "But you have a German name. Paul
Flemming was one of our old poets. I have never been in America, and
never shall go there. I am now too old. I have been in Paris and in
Rome. But that was long ago. I am now eight and seventy years old."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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