"wearied swains in parched bower," "earth tinctured red with blood," which are out of taste or awkward; but certainly nothing like the number which might be pointed to as minor blemishes in Wordsworth. What obscurity there is, is rather in following out the thought than in the actual expressions, for some of the poems fall off considerably towards their conclusion, and the whole is not always sufficiently under the dominion of the leading idea, while the attempt to connect the subject with the Sunday is sometimes forced, from the different parts of the work being, as the author says, "adapted with more or less propriety to the successive portions of the Liturgy, rather than originally suggested by them." Our meaning may be seen in the "Hymn on Trinity Sunday," where the leading idea of the Trinity is very, beautifully carried out during the first part of the poem, with the striking illustration of the three aisles of the cathedral: "Three solemn parts together twine, In harmony's mysterious line; Three solemn aisles approach the shrine;" but the thought is afterwards somewhat lost in the general description of worldliness which follows. It would be a work well deserving the labour, and one which would best show both the depth and general consistency of the thoughts, if any one, with taste and delicacy of handling, were to write such an "Analysis of the Christian Year'" as Mr. Robertson has left of "In Memoriam." Nor can we omit to notice that constant felicity of single expressions which the simplicity and reality of the style gives it. It is difficult to do justice to such phrases apart from their context, but there are many which fix themselves in our mind like proverbs, such as,— "The loving eye that watches thine, Or, "He who dwells above Knows all, yet loves us better than He knows;" Or, "Strive not to wind ourselves too high, Or, "Why should we shrink and fear to live alone, But in fact it may be truly said that there is hardly a poem in the volume without some thought or expression which emphatically "finds us;" and if we add, what will be the experience of many readers, that, almost as in Scripture itself, we always discover in them something fresh and new, and that, "As for some dear familiar strain, Untired, we ask and ask again; Ever, in its melodious store, Finding a spell unheard before," we have perhaps one of the best criterions of what may surely well be called a Divine Poem. We shall not attempt at present to notice Mr. Keble's other works, to which we have occasionally alluded: they are interesting in many respects; but no one can doubt that his fame will rest upon the "Christian Year." In speaking of this, and indeed of his whole life, we have endeavoured, while warmly expressing our admiration, to do so with a freedom without which criticism would be worthless; and we have thought that his claim to be considered a true poet might be most fairly tested by a comparison with other great poets of his time, especially Wordsworth, who was nearest to him in tone, and was almost avowedly the source of much of his inspiration. Inferior, indeed, as he must necessarily be considered both in depth of thought and in poetical power to that great master, he has yet struck a chord of more universal interest and sympathy. And as we have felt in describing him personally, that the character of such a man is a real glory to his country, as well as to the Church, of which he was one of the highest, because one of the most legitimate, ornaments;-so we may reckon amongst the best signs of an Age, which he was himself too much inclined to regard as one of hardness and decline, the fact that poetry, so pure and unworldly, should be, far above any other that can be named, the constant companion of every class of thoughtful Englishmen and Englishwomen,-a true "Eirenicon," in which, spite of all differences of thought and feeling, "Reconciled Christians meet, And face to face and heart to heart, W. C. LAKE. RECENT NONCONFORMIST SERMONS. Sermons Preached at Union Chapel, King's Lynn. By the late Rev. E. L. Notes on the Christian Life. A Selection of Sermons preached by HENRY 1865. Discourses Delivered on Special Occasions. By R. W. DALE, M.A., Author Quiet Resting-places: and other Sermons. By ALEXANDER RALEIGH, URELY the survival of the ordinance of preaching in its present SURE state is one of the most remarkable signs in our remarkable age. When we reflect that at a certain time every Sunday, about a million and a half of our people are sitting perfectly still, listening for the most part to ordinary men, in a very ordinary tone, telling them partly what they all knew before, partly what few of them care to know, and that with the most blameless decorum, a problem presents itself, which neither national character nor the force of habit seems quite enough to resolve. If anything were really accomplished by the generality of preaching-any pleasure, or even any offence given-this would not be so hard to understand. Englishmen would naturally come together and listen if any practical work were in hand: men and women of any nation would come to have their ears tickled; and we fear poor human nature, by the mere force of opposition, would be attracted to hear itself abused. But the wonder is, that not one of these elements is found in ordinary preaching. Nothing is proposed to be done; no likings of the hearers are consulted; none of their opinions are controverted. The driest and dreariest commonplaces are reiterated during the pre scribed half-hour; and the merit, as Pericles said of women, belongs to that discourse, of which there is afterwards the least mention for praise or for blame. And this is really no exaggeration, but the strictly true account of what takes place, and of what many excellent people would maintain ought to take place. Any effect following upon a sermon would, in their view, be an irregularity better avoided. Its use, in their view, is to keep men in a prescribed and even course -not to rouse, but to soothe; not to convince, but to confirm; not to attract, but to keep at rest. We once heard it asserted by a clergyman, who had been listening for many years to some of the best paid, and therefore we suppose the best, preaching in the kingdom, that he never in his life knew the slightest good produced by a sermon. And yet, what says one of the most original and earnest writers of our time? "When the preacher speaks out of the overflowing of a genuine Christian enthusiasm, his words will echo in the memories of many until the Sunday comes round again. In periods when the pulpits of a country are occupied by the foremost men of their time for genius and wisdom, this institution may sway and form the mind of a nation."* Alas, alas! Contrast with these words the pitiful "O dear dear” kind of look of almost every congregation listening to an ordinary sermon in the Church of England. What are these people getting? lessons in patience? So said the good George Herbert: "If the sermon lacketh sense, God takes the text, and preaches patience." But we fear so good an account cannot be given. Rather are they learning a far less desirable lesson-a lesson in which most of them, thanks to their teachers, are considerable adepts:-how to attach no meaning at all to the most solemn words. A dangerous accomplishment truly one which in Charles II.'s time bore fruit in this our land, and may again one day. This crystallized orthodoxy is really becoming a most serious matter. Not that we want the orthodoxy to become less pure, but that we want to see it live and stir. The sermon is become a kind of phylactery worn on the forehead of the congregation to charm its conscience, and save the trouble of thinking. And we know what One said of those times when men used the good words of God's law for such a purpose. From the nature of the case, this unpromising description will be found more generally to apply to the sermons of Churchmen than of Nonconformists. The latter, whatever may be the prescribed habits of the body to which they belong, are not so much committed to a routine as we are. The skirmisher is ever freer in his movements than he who marches in the ranks; and it has been with a view to see what result this comparative lightness of armour produces, that we have made a selection out of the numerous volumes of non * "Ecce Homo," p. 223. conformist sermons sent to us, and have grouped them together at the head of this article. Shall we, before beginning our critique, make just one remark, which may savour of Anglican prejudice, but which really reports our impression from what we wished to be an unprejudiced examination ? It is this: that nonconformist mediocrity in our time seems to be something even below Anglican mediocrity. The latter, however tame, flat, ignorant of man and of the time, has yet a certain passable respectability about it. If such a degree of persistency of purpose may be assumed as would suffice for reading through a sermon written by this class of preachers, we do not know that, beyond of course its paralyzing influence, it could possibly do any one harm. But this is far from true of the mediocre nonconformist sermon. We have been looking over some (not included, we beg to observe, among those at the head of our article) which are simply disreputable. Having not a thought in his head which can attract his hearers, the orator betakes himself to shrieking out vociferations against articles of the Christian faith, or against supposed Anglican practices, or against anything which happens to be unpopular at the moment. It is as if the skirmisher in front, lacking opportunities of distinction, were to display his valour by ever and anon wheeling round and discharging his piece in the face of the main army. Very different in character are the sermons which we have named at the head of this article; and we are not certain whether, when we have said our say about them, we may not be almost suspected of a prejudice in the other direction. It is, we hope, quite needless for us to disclaim such a bias: but it may not be altogether superfluous to confess, in its stead, to an earnest wish that we of the Church of England knew more of the training and work of our nonconformist fellow-countrymen, if it were only for example to ourselves. Our own theological training, very recently described by an able writer in this journal, is not so satisfactory, that it might not with advantage borrow from any body of Christians which really professes to educate for the ministry at all. And it is with the desire of shewing to readers, who may never have even heard the names of the preachers, some of the fruits of nonconformist training, that we have studied, and now proceed to report on, the sermons mentioned at the head of this article. Mr. Hull's remarkable volume of sermons was published after his death, which took place at the early age of 31. His ministry (at Union Chapel, King's Lynn) extended from March, 1856, to October, 1861. "None of the sermons were prepared for the press by himself, and the manuscripts of only three received his revision: the remainder have been taken from posthumous manuscripts, more or less imperfect, and from shorthand notes of sermons taken during delivery." |