CHAP. IX.

THE NEW CURACY.

"Oh, for a love like Daniel's now,

To wing to Heaven but one strong prayer
For God's new Israel, sunk as low,

Yet flourishing to sight as fair,

As Sion in her height of pride,

With queens for handmaids at her side,
With kings her nursing fathers, throned high,

And compass'd with the world's too tempting blazonry."

KEBLE.

THE Curacy to which Faithful now removed was that of an agricultural parish in the south of England, within a short distance of the county town; a rich and beautiful part of the country, where was to be found the best of society. His new vicar was a very strict Churchman in matters of forms, and yet in doctrine decidedly Evangelical. The great majority of the clergy in the neighbourhood were High Churchmen; and the livings they held being most of them of great value, there was an air of respectability and a gentlemanliness of carriage about the clergy, such as Faithful had not before witnessed, except among some of the visiters of his late parish. As, by changes which had occurred in his relative circumstances, he was himself enabled to live in a style superior to the generality of curates, most of the surrounding clergy soon called upon him to pay their respects. Almost the only exceptions were a few of the Low Church clergy, who, for some unknown reason, never honoured

Mr. and Mrs. Faithful with a call. This did not tend to raise them in his esteem; for a want of common courtesy is no mark of a Christian, any more than of a gentleman.

One of the first proofs of confidence shown him by his new acquaintances was, their voting him in as a member of their clerical society. This society was constituted much more in conformity with the rules of ecclesiastical order, and its proceedings were conducted with much greater formality, than in the one to which he had lately belonged. It had its president, and vice-presidents, and library, and printed rules, and all the usual forms of a corporate body. Every member paid an annual subscription towards the library and other necessary expenses. Its meetings were held in the vestry of the mother church of the county town. No clergyman could become a member of this society without being formally proposed and balloted for; and when once voted in, his connection with the society was considered permanent. Mr. Faithful was thus formally elected. Upon the occasion of his first attendance, Dr. Dominant, the rural dean (whom we shall have reason often to mention), was in the chair. When he was ushered into the room, the Doctor very politely assured him, that he was much gratified in being able to inform him that the society had unanimously elected him a member of their body.

This business being over, the meeting proceeded to the discussion of their subject. The topic of their discussion was the rubrics: the part they were upon, the Marriage Service. From timidity, Faithful made no remarks at his first attendance, except, for the sake of saying something, he quoted a line from one of our poets, which struck him as illustrating the point in debate. The chairman merely inquired in which of the poets the sen

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timent was to be found; and when told it was James Montgomery, he passed it by with observing, "Oh! he is a Dissenter."

After the discussion was over, the members adjourned to the principal inn in the town to partake, according to their rules, of a plain dinner. The plain dinner, however, proved rather a costly concern, when the wine was included. A great number of the members attended the dinner that day, and it was to Faithful quite an elating scene. The usual toasts of the Queen, the Bishop, the Rural Dean, &c., were given, and drunk. There appeared to be such heartiness and hilarity in the proceedings-such unity of feeling seemed to pervade all the company that he returned home congratulating himself that he had now got among a set of most gentlemanly and agreeable clergymen. A high-minded, frank, open, generous bearing, for the most part, distinguished his new associates. Even when walking the streets they never passed a lady whom they knew, or any person of higher position than themselves in society, without elevating their hats completely from their heads, and this habit descended even to the tradespeople of the town, for they likewise took off their hats to every clergyman they passed. This practice was in a great measure new to Faithful, for he had observed very little of it in the principal town, near which he was before located, where most of the livings were small, and the clergy poor. Steepleton was, in fact, a completely High Church town, and had been so for centuries, which accounts for these characteristics. There were, too, always troops stationed there, and with the military officers, who are proverbially polite (except when offended), the clergy had much intercourse. Many of the aristocracy also resided in the neighbourhood. These several circumstances may

all be supposed to have had their influence in producing the tone of feeling and the manners which Faithful observed.

The only exceptions to this tone of feeling and outward demeanour at the clerical dinner, were a few of the clergy who were distinguished by rather a timid, downcast, demure look, and by something of a Quaker-like dress. These were traits of character which Faithful did not exactly understand. All that he could trace out from his own observations was, that such expressions as "Church and State," "The Queen our supreme head,”"Our glorious Church and Constitution," and the like, which now and then dropped from the chairman's lips, appeared to be the cause of their gravity. But Faithful had not learned as yet what was the origin of their peculiarity.

After the party had broken up, he took occasion to inquire of one of the members with whom he rode home, as to the rise of the society, and how it was that they had (which seemed to him very strange) their dinner at an inn.

"The society took its rise," said Mr. Middleman, "a few years ago, among a small number of the more serious of the clergy, both High Church and Low, (though I ought to state that there were, at first, but very few of the High Church clergy among its members,) who held their meetings at the small county town of Lambton, about ten miles off. Their original plan was, to begin their meeting with reading a portion of Scripture, after prayers, and to discuss that first, and afterwards, if they had time, to consider some question immediately affecting the Church. After a while they removed their meetings, for the greater convenience of the members, to Steepleton, as being more central.. But here, at first, they were obliged to hold their meetings in the

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inn where we have dined. Some of the members, however, feeling that an inn was not a proper place for a meeting for religious discussions, and wishing to be more church-like in their mode of proceeding, it was suggested that they should apply to the principal clergyman of the town, who was of the old High Church school, for the use of his vestry; and in order to secure their obtainment of it, they agreed to make their society more comprehensive make their rules, in fact, so wide, that all parties among the clergy might be included. This proposal was acceded to. From that time the meetings began to be held in the vestry, and the dinner (they had no dinner, I believe, before) at the inn. Most of the clergy in the neighbourhood then joined it and so it has gone on ever since. This was about seven years ago."

"Did any alterations take place then," asked Faithful, "in the subjects they discussed?"

"Yes," replied Mr. Middleman, "at_the_suggestion of Mr. (now Archdeacon) Romeworthy, it was agreed that we should take the Prayer-book instead of the Bible as the subject of our study, in order that we might see, as he put it, what light the Liturgy threw upon the Scriptures."

"That seems to me like taking a candle to see the sun," said Faithful.

"Don't be hasty in your judgment," replied Mr. Middleman; " they had a good object in view, no doubt at least we should always give moderate men credit for good intentions, even if they do mistake the proper course."

Faithful: "I suppose, then, as they were upon the Marriage Service to-day, they have been upon the Prayer-book ever since, and have only just arrived at that point?"