Part 14 (1/2)
New honours awaited me My lord the bishop was come to town, of which Enoch had providently taken care to have instant notice As I had related of otten to tell Enoch of the several sermons I had written; nor to shew him that which I had corrected and taken to Turl
I had another attainlect to inform him; for it was one of which I was not a little proud Much ofmy residence at Oxford, had been devoted to the study of polemical divinity, or the art of abuse, extracted from the scriptures, the fathers, and the different doctors of different faiths The points that hadthe Athanasian creed, and the thirty-nine articles On both these subjects I had made many extracts, many remarks, and collected many authorities; for I had subscribed the thirty-nine articles, and consequently the Athanasian creed, and what I had done it became me to defend This is the nity to be consistent in error than to forget self, revere truth, and retract
I had beside been well educated for this kind of pertinacity The rector, when living, was so sternly orthodox as to hold the slightest deviation from church authority in abhorrence What he meant by church authority, or what any rational ht be difficult to define: except that church authority and orthodox opinions are, with each individual, those precise points which that individual makes a part of his creed But as, unfortunately for church authority, no two individuals ever had or ever can have the same creed, church authority is like a body in ht otherwise, and then as now did not refrain froht
In addition to the other arts of pleasing, which the industrious Enoch had acquired, that oforthodox doctrines in the presence of orthodox people was one He was glad to find me so deep a proficient; for to what market could we so profitably carry such ware as to the levee of a bishop?
The little ht advance ht reverend, advised me to put my corrected sermon in my pocket; which, with or without his advice, I suspect I should have done 'These particulars,' said the provident Enoch, 'must every one of them be told But be you under no concern; leave all that to h I had not on this occasion the courage to contradict hiood qualities I could discover in myself I wished to have noticed; and if nobody else would notice them I must Like other people, I have too frequently been desirous to h the door was the door of a bishop and we had the text in our favour, 'Knock and it shall be opened,' yet Enoch, no doubt re, was too cautious to ask if his lordshi+p were at hoyentle letters fronitaries of the university, requested an audience
The e was delivered, and ere ushered into a parlour, the walls of which were decorated with the heads of the English archbishops, surrounding Hogarth's ht conversation There was not a book in the rooht newspapers
With these we amused ourselves for some time, till the approach of the bishop was announced by the creaking of his shoes, the rustling of his silk apron, and the repeated henity
The moment I saw hih-fed brawny doctors of Oxford His legs were the pillars of Hercules, his body a brewer's butt, his face the sun rising in a red nitude is a powerful cause of the sublime; and if this be true, the dimensions of his lordshi+p certainly had a copious and indisputable claim to sublihty belly heaved and his cheeks swelled with the spiritual inflations of church power He fixed his open eyes upon me and surveyed me from top to toe I too made my remarks 'He is a true son of the church,' said I--The libertine sarcasm was instantly repelled, and my train of ideas was purified from such irreverend heresy--'He is an orthodox divine! A pillar of truth! A Christian Bishop!' Thought is swift, and man assents and recants before his eye can twinkle
I delivered my credentials and he seated himself in a capacious chair, substantially fitted to receive and sustain its burden of divinity, and began to read My letters were froh in authority, purple-robed and rotund supporters of our good _Al his sonorous throat of the obstructing phleger that he should sometime or other be suffocated, he welcoood friends of the university ell, and professed a desire to oblige thehly co idle all this tireeable arts, soon found an opportunity of inforht reverend father in God what powerful connexions I had, hoell skilled I was in classical learning, how deeply I was read in theology, how orthodox htedas I was, I had already obtained the character of a prodigious fine writer!
He did not indeed say all this in a breath; he took his own tiood care to have it all said His secret for being eloquent consisted rather in action than in language, and noith the spiritual lord as before with the teesticulations which he had rarely found unsuccessful He had such a profound reverence for the episcopacy, [bowing to the ground] was so bitter an enenity] had so full a sense of his own inferiority [contorting his countenance, like a erbread] and humbled himself so utterly in the presence of the powers that be that, while he spoke, the broad cheeks of the bishop swelled true high church satisfaction; dilating and playing like a pair of forge bellows
My modesty was his next theme, and with it was coupled the serht infriend was so bashful! was so fearful of intruding on his lordshi+p! as indeed every one must be, who had any sense of what is always due to our superiors! Yet as the doctrines of his young friend were so sound, and he was so true a churchht perhaps happen that his lordshi+p would have the condescension to let one of his chaplains read hi friend? He was sure it would do him service with his lordshi+p Not but he was al so far on his lordshi+p's invaluable tiood manners I could not equal the adulation of Enoch; but, when I afterward came to canvas my own conduct, I found I had followed h
His lordshi+p, to indicate his approbation of our duplex harangue, graciously accepted the ser company, and invited me and reeting Enoch and I, well pleased, were about to depart
The retailer of pews recollected hilect an opportunity After ments not to be expressed, he requested per friend had y his study, of which he thought it his duty to acquaint his lordshi+p In these days of doubt, rank infidelity, and aboood and pious divine; and her most active defenders were her best friends His lordshi+p would therefore perhaps be glad to hear that Mr Trevor had particularly devoted his of the fathers and the known orthodox divines, and was qualified to be a powerful advocate and champion of conformity
'Indeed!' said his lordshi+p, with open ears and eyes 'I a, Mr Trevor, on these subjects?'--'I have made many references, memorandums, and preparatory remarks, my lord'--'Then you intend to write!'--I saw the satisfaction hich the affirmative was likely to be received and boldly answered, 'I do, lad to hear it!'--'Shall I domy manuscript, as soon as it is written, and consult your lordshi+p's judgment?'--'By all hty matters The church was never more virulently and scandalously attacked than she has been lately! Thefrom the press! Not only infidels and atheists, but the vipers which the church has nurtured in her own bosoht into contenitaries daily insulted!
The hierarchy is in danger! The bishops totter on their bench! We are none of us safe'
To the reality of this picture I readily assented 'But,' said I, 'my lord, we have the instruments of defence in our oe have the scriptures, the fathers, the doctors of our church and all the authorities for us The only thing ant is a hero, qualified to bear this cumbrous armour, and to wield these massy weapons'
The words, 'that hero aue; and, if e, out they would have bolted
His lordshi+p agreed that the truth was all on our side: and for his part he wished it to be thundered forth, so as at once to crush and annihilate all heretics, and their daed by your lordshi+p,' said I, 'this shall be the first labour of rant it is Herculean, I have little doubt of executing it effectually' His lordshi+p, though not quite so certain of ave his hearty assent; and ith smiles, thanks, and bows in abundance, took our leave: Enoch with a fine pisgah prospect of the land of prorapes I had been gathering, on which my fancy licentiously banqueted
CHAPTER VIII
_Beatific visions: Irons enough in the fire: Egotism and oratory: Hints on elocution_
This sudden elevation to fame and fortune, for I had not the smallest doubt that so it was, this double-election of hty tasks, was uine as my expectations had been, could have hoped! To rout politicians and extirpate heresy, to pull down a minister and become the buttress of the church, to reforlorious office! Honour and poere suspended over my head: I had but to cut the thread and they would drop and crown me