CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE SIN OF SANCTIMONY.
Just at this point arrived Mr. Hall, whom I have before described as thegood but callow Methodist preacher on the circuit. Some people thinkthat a minister of the gospel should be exempt from criticism, ridicule,and military duty. But the manly minister takes his lot with the rest.Nothing could be more pernicious than making the foibles of a ministersacred. Doubtless Mr. Hall has long since come to laugh at his own earlyfollies, his official sanctimoniousness, and all that; and why shouldnot I, who have been a callow circuit-preacher myself in my day, laughat my Brother Hall, for the good of his kind?
He had come to visit Sister Cynthy Ann, whose name had long stood on theclass-book at Harden's Cross-Roads as a good and acceptable member ofthe church in full connection. He was visiting formally and officiallyeach family in which there was a member. Had he visited informally andunofficially, and like a man instead of like a minister, he would havedone more good. But he came to Samuel Anderson's, and informed Mrs.Anderson that he was visiting his members, and that as one of herhousehold was a member, he would like to have a little religiousconversation and prayer with the family. Would she please gatherthem together?
So Julia was called down-stairs, and Jonas was invited in from thekitchen. The sight of him distressed Brother Hall. For was not this NewLight sent here by Satan to lead astray one of his flock? But, at least,he would labor faithfully with him.
He began with Mr. Samuel Anderson. But that worthy, after looking at hiswife in vain for a cue, darted off about the trumpets of the Apocalypse.
"Mr. Anderson, as head of this family, your responsibility is verygreat. Do you feel the full assurance, my brother?" asked Mr. Hall.
"Yes," said Mr. Anderson, "I am standing with my lamp trimmed and ready.I am listening for the midnight shout. To-night the trumpet may sound. Iam afraid you don't do your duty, or you would lift up your voice. Thetune and times and a half are almost out."
Mr. Hall was a little dashed at this. A man whose religious conversationis of a set and conventional type, is always shocked and jostled when heis thrown from the track. And he himself, like everybody else, had feltthe Adventist infection, and did not want to commit himself. So heturned to Mrs. Anderson. She answered like a seraph every question putto her--the conventional questions never pierce the armor of a hypocriteor startle the conscience of a self-deceiver. Mr. Hall congratulated herin his most official tone (a compound of authority, awfulness, andsanctity) on her deep experience of the things that made for hereverlasting peace. He told her that people of her high attainmentsmust beware of spiritual pride. And Mrs. Anderson took the warning withbeautiful meekness, sinking into forty fathoms of undisguised and ratherostentatious humility, heaving solemn sighs in token of self-reproach--aself-reproach that did not penetrate the cuticle.
A PASTORAL VISIT.]
"And you, Sister Cynthy Ann," he said, fighting shy of Jonas for thepresent, "I trust you are trying to let your light shine. Do you feelthat you are pressing on?"
Poor Cynthy Ann sank into a despondency deeper than usual. She wasafeard not. Seemed like as ef her heart was cold and dead to God. Seemedlike as ef she couldn't no ways gin up the world. It weighed her downlike a rock, and many was the fight she had with the enemy. No, shewuzn't getting on.
"My dear sister," said Mr. Hall, "let me warn you. Here is Mrs.Anderson, who has given up the world entirely. I hope you'll follow sogood an example. Do not be led astray by worldly affections; they aresure to entrap you. I am afraid you have not maintained yoursteadfastness as you should." Here Mr. Hall's eye wandered doubtfully toJonas, of whom he felt a little afraid. Jonas, on his part, had noreason to like Mr. Hall for his advice in Cynthy's love affair, and nowthe minister's praises of Mrs. Anderson and condemnation of Cynthy Annhad not put him in any mood to listen to exhortation.
"Well, Mr. Harrison," said the young minister solemnly, approachingJonas much as a dog does a hedgehog, "how do you feel to-day?"
"Middlin' peart, I thank you; how's yourself?"
This upset the good man not a little, and convinced him that Jonas wasin a state of extreme wickedness.
"Are you a Christian?"
"Wal, I 'low I am. How about yourself, Mr. Hall?"
"I believe you are a New Light. Now, do you believe in the Lord JesusChrist?" asked the minister in an annihilating tone.
"Yes, I do, my aged friend, a heap sight more'n I do in some of themthat purtends to hev a paytent right on all his blessins, and that puton solemn airs and call other denominations hard names. My friend, Idon't believe in no religion that's made up of sighs and groans and hightemper" (with a glance at Mrs. Anderson), "and that thinks a good dealmore of its bein' sound in doctrine than of the danger of bein' rottenin life. They's lots o' bad eggs got slick and shiny shells!"
Mr. Hall happened to think just here of the injunction against throwingpearls before swine, and so turned to Humphreys, who made his heart gladby witnessing a good confession, in soft and unctuous tones, and couchedin the regulation phrases which have worn smooth in long use.
Julia had slunk away in a corner. But now he appealed to her also.
"Blest with a praying mother, you, Miss Anderson, ought to repent ofyour sins and flee from the wrath to come. You know the right way. Youhave been pointed to it by the life of your parents from childhood.Reared in the bosom of a Christian household, let me entreat you to seeksalvation immediately."
I do not like to repeat this talk here. But it is an unfortunate factthat goodness and self-sacrificing piety do not always go with practicalwisdom. The novelist, like the historian, must set down things as hefinds them. A man who talks in consecrated phrases is yet in thepoll-parrot state of mental development.
"Do you feel a desire to flee from the wrath to come?" he asked.
Julia gave some sort of inaudible assent.
"My dear young sister, you have great reason to be thankful--very greatreason for gratitude to Almighty God." (Like many other pious young men,Mr. Hall said _Gawd_.) "I met you the other night at your uncle's. Theyoung man whose life we then despaired of has recovered." And with moreof this, Mr. Hall told Julia's secret, while Mrs. Anderson, between heranger and her rapt condition of mind, seemed to be petrifying.
I trust the reader does not expect me to describe the feelings of Juliawhile Mr. Hall read a chapter and prayed. Nor the emotions of Mrs.Anderson. I think if Mr. Hall could have heard her grind her teeth whilehe in his prayer gave thanks for the recovery of August, he would nothave thought so highly of her piety. But she managed to control heremotions until the minister was fairly out of the house. In biddinggood-by, Mr. Hall saw how pale and tremulous Julia was, and with hischaracteristic lack of sagacity, he took her emotion to be a sign ofreligious feelings and told her he was pleased to see that she wasawakened to a sense of her condition.
And then he left. And then came the deluge.