England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Sunday
seventh commandment for instance, with a studied regard for the taste and
feeling of his auditors, only to be equalled by that displayed by the
sleek divine who succeeds him, who murmurs, in a voice kept down by rich
feeding, most comfortable doctrines for exactly twelve minutes, and then
arrives at the anxiously expected ‘Now to God,’ which is the signal for
the dismissal of the congregation. The organ is again heard; those who
have been asleep wake up, and those who have kept awake, smile and seem
greatly relieved; bows and congratulations are exchanged, the livery
servants are all bustle and commotion, bang go the steps, up jump the
footmen, and off rattle the carriages: the inmates discoursing on the
dresses of the congregation, and congratulating themselves on having set
so excellent an example to the community in general, and
Sunday-pleasurers in particular.
Enter a less orthodox place of religious worship, and observe the
contrast. A small close chapel with a white-washed wall, and plain deal
pews and pulpit, contains a closely-packed congregation, as different in
dress, as they are opposed in manner, to that we have just quitted. The
hymn is sung—not by paid singers, but by the whole assembly at the
loudest pitch of their voices, unaccompanied by any musical instrument,
the words being given out, two lines at a time, by the clerk. There is
something in the sonorous quavering of the harsh voices, in the lank and
hollow faces of the men, and the sour solemnity of the women, which
bespeaks this a strong-hold of intolerant zeal and ignorant enthusiasm.
The preacher enters the pulpit. He is a coarse, hard-faced man of
forbidding aspect, clad in rusty black, and bearing in his hand a small
plain Bible from which he selects some passage for his text, while the
hymn is concluding. The congregation fall upon their knees, and are
hushed into profound stillness as he delivers an extempore prayer, in
which he calls upon the Sacred Founder of the Christian faith to bless
his ministry, in terms of disgusting and impious familiarity not to be
described. He begins his oration in a drawling tone, and his hearers
listen with silent attention. He grows warmer as he proceeds with his
subject, and his gesticulation becomes proportionately violent. He
clenches his fists, beats the book upon the desk before him, and swings
his arms wildly about his head. The congregation murmur their
acquiescence in his doctrines: and a short groan, occasionally bears
testimony to the moving nature of his eloquence. Encouraged by these
symptoms of approval, and working himself up to a pitch of enthusiasm
amounting almost to frenzy, he denounces sabbath-breakers with the direst
vengeance of offended Heaven. He stretches his body half out of the
pulpit, thrusts forth his arms with frantic gestures, and blasphemously
calls upon The Deity to visit with eternal torments, those who turn aside
from the word, as interpreted and preached by—himself. A low moaning is
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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