Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Fiction
On Sunday he preached in the parish church. The sermon was opposite to
what the good people here had been subject to; instead of the vague and
cold generalities of an English sermon, he drove home-truths home in
business-like English. He used a good many illustrations, and these
were drawn from matters with which this particular congregation were
conversant. He was as full of similes here as he was sparing of them
when he preached before the University of Oxford. Any one who had
read this sermon in a book of sermons would have divined what sort
of congregation it was preached to--a primrose of a sermon. Mr. Eden
preached from notes and to the people--not the air. Like every born
orator, he felt his way with his audience, whereas the preacher who is
not an orator throws out his fine things, hit or miss, and does not know
and feel and care whether he is hitting or missing. “Open your hand,
shut your eyes, and fling out the good seed so much per foot--that is
enough.” No. This man preached to the faces and hearts that happened
to be round him. He established between himself and them a pulse, every
throb of which he felt and followed. If he could not get hold of them
one way, he tried another; he would have them--he was not there to fail.
His discourse was human; it was man speaking to man on the most vital
and interesting topic in the world or out of it; it was more, it was
brother speaking to brother. Hence some singular phenomena. First,
when he gave the blessing (which is a great piece of eloquence commonly
reduced to a very small one by monotonous or feeble delivery), and
uttered it, like his discourse, with solemnity, warmth, tenderness and
all his soul, the people lingered some moments in the church and seemed
unwilling to go at all. Second, nobody mistook their pew for their
four-poster during the sermon. This was the more remarkable as many of
the congregation had formed a steady habit of coming to this place once
a week with the single view of snatching an hour's repose from earthly
and heavenly cares.
The next morning Mr. Eden visited some of the poorest people in the
parish. Susan accompanied him, all eyes and ears. She observed that his
line was not to begin by dictating his own topic, but lie in wait for
them; let them first choose their favorite theme, and so meet them on
this ground, and bring religion to bear on it. “Oh, how wise he is!”
thought Susan, “and how he knows the heart!”
One Sunday evening three weeks after his first official visit he had
been by himself to see some of the poor people, and on his return found
Susan alone. He sat down and gave an account of his visits.
“How many ounces of tea and tobacco did you give away, sir?” asked
Susan, with an arch smile.
“Four tea, two tobacco,” replied the reverend gentleman.
“I do notice, sir, you never carry gingerbread or the like for the
children.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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