Clergy -- Fiction; Great Britain -- Fiction; Religious fiction
It is impossible to repeat such language as Mr. Cartwright and those who
resemble him think fit to use in their extemporary devotions, without
offending against that sensitive horror of profanation which happily
still continues to be one of the strongest feelings in the minds of
Christians not converted--_i. e._ perverted from the solemn reverence
our church enjoins in the utterance of every word by which we venture to
approach the Deity. To such, the unweighed flippant use of those
momentous words "LET US PRAY," followed as they often are, by turgid
rantings, and familiar appeals to the most High God, in volumes of
rapid, careless wordiness, is perhaps the most offensive outrage to
which their religions feelings can be exposed. One might be almost
tempted to believe that the sectarians who, rejecting the authorized
forms in which the bishops and fathers of our church have cautiously,
reverently, and succinctly rehearsed the petitions which the Scriptures
permit man to offer to his Creator;--one might, I say, almost be tempted
to believe that these men have so misunderstood the Word of God, as to
read:--USE _vain repetitions as the Heathen do, for they_ SHALL BE
_heard for their much speaking_. But this "much speaking," with all its
irreverent accompaniments of familiar phraseology, is an abomination to
those who have preserved their right to sit within the sacred pale of
our established church; and as it is among such that I wish to find my
readers, I will avoid, as much as possible, offending them by
unnecessary repetitions of Mr. Cartwright's rhapsodies, preserving only
so much of their substance as may be necessary to the making his
character fully understood.
While imploring Heaven to soften the heart of poor Fanny, who knelt
weeping beside him like a Niobe, he rehearsed her talents and good
qualities, earnestly praying that they might not be turned by the Prince
of Darkness into a snare.
"Let not her gift--her shining gift of poesy, lead her, as it has so
often done others, to the deepest pit of hell! Let not the gentle and
warm affections of her heart cling to those that shall carry her soul,
with their own, down to the worm that dieth not, and to the fire that
cannot be quenched! Rather, fix thou her love upon those who will seek
it in thy holy name. May she know to distinguish between the true and
the false, the holy and the unholy!"
"Amen!" was here uttered by Henrietta, but in so low a whisper that only
her father's ear caught it. He paused for half a moment, and then
continued with still-increasing zeal, so that his voice shook and tears
fell from his eyes.
Fanny was fully aware of all this strong emotion; for though she
uncovered not her own streaming eyes, she could not mistake the
trembling voice that pronounced its fervent blessing on her amidst sobs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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