THE

SWORD AND THE TROWEL.

W

MAY, 1865.

Mr. Pepys' Beligion.

BY C. H. SPURGEON.

HO has not heard of Mr. Pepys, whose Diary has introduced us to the court of Charles II., to the every-day life of a seventeenth century gentleman, and what is far more interesting, to his own proper self, his foibles, his schemes, and private thoughts. He has left us a chronicle of his daily doings, written as though he thought aloud and then turned reporter to himself; manifesting all the frank unreserve in which one may safely indulge in a book of private memoranda written in short-hand; but which no man would venture upon if he had a presentiment that chiels in after days, would decipher the MS. and send it forth to the world. Lord Braybrooke, in the Life which is prefixed to Bohn's edition of the Diary, tells us, that" with respect to the religion of Pepys, these volumes supply conclusive information. He was educated in the pure faith of the Church of England. To that he adhered through life, and in that he died." As we believe him to be a type of thousands now bearing the Christian name in our land, we shall hold up his portrait as drawn by himself, that others may trace the family likeness in themselves, and that all the world may see what are the heights and depths of grace to which the pure faith of the Church of England conducted its adherent two hundred years ago. A writer in Chambers' Book of Days, calls Pepys "an average Christian;" we suppose he was; but God grant that our readers may be found far above such an average. We shall confine our attention to his Sundays, for then his religion is in its full bloom. His first Sunday's entry is significant of the manner in which his religion is performed as a matter of duty, and then laid on one side to make room for more congenial occupations.

"Jan. 1st. 1659. (Lord's day.) This morning, I rose, put on my suit with great skirts, having not lately worn any other clothes but them. Went to Mr. Gunnin's chapel at Exeter House, where he made a very good sermon upon these words:That in the fulness of time God sent his Son, made of a woman,' &c.; showing, that by 'made under the law' is meant the circumcision, which is solemnized this day. Dined

at home in the garret, where my wife dressed the remains of a turkey, and in the doing of it she burned her hand. I staid at home the whole afternoon, looking over my accounts; then went with my wife to my father's."

The same mixture of engagements during the day is evident in other entries:

“August 5, 1660. After dinner, to St. Margaret's; the first time I ever heard Common Prayer in that church. At Westminster stairs a fray between Mynheer Clinke and a waterman made good sport."

"May 5, 1661. Mr. Creed and I went to the red-faced parson's church, and heard a good sermon of him, better than I looked for. Anon we walked into the garden, and there played the fool a great while, trying who of Mr. Creed or I could go best over the edge of an old fountaine well, and I won a quart of sack of him. Then to supper in the banquethouse, and there my wife and I did talk high, she against and I for Mrs. Pierce till we were both angry."

A part of the Sunday is usually given to make up accounts. We read," stayed at home the whole afternoon looking over my accounts," or "casting up my accounts, I do find myself to be worth £40 more, which I did not think." His conscience occasionally pricks him for this, as is plain in the following entry:-" All the morning at home, making up my accounts (God forgive me) to give up to my Lord this afternoon." And, again, "Took physic all day and God forgive me, did spend it in reading of some little French romances." But his inward monitor was not very exacting, for, on other occasions without so much as the confession of a single qualm, he records his trading on Sunday with sailors who were probably smugglers or thieves.

"Sept. 24, 1665. Waked, and up, and drank; and then, being about Grayes, and a very calm, curious morning, we took our wherry, and to the fishermen, and bought a great deal of fine fish, and to Gravesend to White's, and had part of it dressed; and, in the mean time, we to walk about a mile from the town, and so back again; and there one of our watermen told us he had heard of a bargain of cloves for us, and we went to a blind alehouse at the further end of the town, to a couple of wretched, dirty seamen, who, poor wretches! had got together about 37lb. of cloves, and 10lb. of nutmegs, and we bought them of themthe first at 5s. 6d. per lb., and the latter at 4s., and paid them in gold; but, Lord! to see how silly these men are in the selling of it, and easy to be persuaded almost to anything."

What his conscience lacked in force, it possessed in discrimination; for, to most men, the following note would appear to contain a moral distinction without a difference. "Jan. 30, 1667. Fast-day for the King's death. At night, it being a little moonshine and fair weather, into the garden, and, with Mercer, sang till my wife put me in mind of its being a fast-day; and so I was sorry for it, and stopped, and home to cards." His dress occupied no mean place in his thoughts: "The barber having done with me I went to church." "To church, and with my mourning, very handsome, and new periwig made a great show." "My taylor's man brings my vest home, and coat to wear with it and belt and silver-hilted sword; so I rose and dressed myself, and I like myself mightily in it, and so do my wife." He was greatly agitated at times as

to the manner in which any novelties in his dress might strike others who attended at the same place of public worship. In November, 1663, he began to wear a peruke, and writes, "To church, where I found that my coming in a periwig did not prove so strange as I was afraid it would, for I thought that all the church would presently cast their eyes upon me, but I found no such thing."

Desiring to cut a good figure himself, he is not indifferent to the outward adornment of others; and even goes to churches with the view of seeing the dress and admiring the beauty of the ladies. "April 21, 1667. To Hackney church. Sat with Sir G. Viner and his lady-rich in jewels, but most in beauty-almost the finest woman that ever I saw. That which I went chiefly to see was the young ladies of the schools, whereof there is great store."

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August 11, 1661. To our own church in the forenoon, and in the afternoon to Clerkenwell church, only to see the two fair Botelers; and I happened to be placed in the pew where they afterwards came to sit, but the pew by their coming being too full, I went out into the next, and there sat, and had my full view of them both, but I am out of conceit now with them."

He takes a look at a lady he calls Peggy Pen, and describes her as very fine in her new coloured silk suit, laced with silver lace.

Ön another occasion he notes, "There was my pretty black girl;" and, on December 11, 1664, he jots down, "To church alone in the morning. In the afternoon to the French church, where much pleased with the three sisters of the parson-very handsome, especially in their noses, and sing prettily. I heard a good sermon of the old man, touching duty to parents. Here was Sir Samuel Morland and his lady very fine, with two footmen, in new liverys, the church taking much notice of them, and going into their coach after sermon with great gazing."

Mr. Pepys was not, at Church, the best behaved man in the world, at least his own report does not accord him a very lofty position. He amuses himself at times with an opera-glass. "May 26th, 1667. After dinner I by water alone to Westminster to the parish church, and there did entertain myself with my perspective glass up and down the church, by which I had the great pleasure of seeing and gazing at a great many very fine women; and what with that, and sleeping, I passed away the time till sermon was done." He even turns the time of worship into a a season for conversation, and treats the pew as if it were a countinghouse: "In the pew both Sir William and I had much talk about the death of Sir Robert, which troubles me much." As a man of fashion may look in at a succession of parties during the London season, so he drops into various places for a few minutes; observe this memorandum: "March 16th, 1662. This morning, till churches were done, I spent going from one church to another, and hearing a bit here, and a bit there." Although one would fancy that his own religious fervour might have been the subject of question, he reserves his suspicions for others, and we find observations of this kind-"The winter coming on, many of the parish ladies are come home, and appear at church again: among others, the three sisters of the Thornburys, very fine, and the most zealous people that ever I saw in my life, even to admiration, if it were true zeal."

The good man frequently sleeps during the sermon, but usually attributes his drowsiness to the dulness of the discourse. Surely sleeping was very excusable in an age when the singing of the psalm occupied an hour, so as to enable the sexton to make a collection from seat to seat on his own account. When wide awake he is not always quite certain as to the subject; hence he writes one Sunday, "Heard a good sermon upon "Teach us the right way,' or something like it." He criticises the preacher's appearance; in one instance it is the "redfaced parson," in another, "the little doctor." The discourse is "a good sermon," a poor, dry sermon," a gracy sermon," an impertinent sermon," or very frequently "a dull sermon." He tells us in one place, "the same idle fellow preached;" and in another, "a stranger preached like a fool."

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Mr. Mills delivers a lazy sermon upon the devil's having no right to anything in this world, which ought to have been a racy discourse, for the subject is suggestive enough. In St. Margaret's, Westminster, heard a young man play the fool about the doctrine of Purgatory; we fear he was not the last young man who has done so. At Christ Church, June 17th, 1666, he writes, "I heard a silly sermon." He must have grown accustomed to hear the same matter repeated, for he notes, "I heard a good sermon of Dr. Bucks, one I have never heard before."

Now and then he enjoys a laugh during service, as for instance, September 23rd, 1660: "Before sermon I laughed at the reader, who in his prayer desires of God that he would imprint his words on the thumbs of our right hands, and on the great toes of our right feet;” but his mirth is suddenly cut short, for some plaster fell from the top of the Abbey, that made him and all in his pew afraid, so that he wished himself out.

The Lord's-day was usually wound up with prayers, at least after the date, July 22nd, 1660, where we read: "Home, and at night had a chapter read; and I read prayers out of the Common Prayer Book, the first time that ever I read prayers in this house. So to bed." There were, however, exceptions to the rule, for one evening the Diary has it, "To bed without prayers, it being cold, and to-morrow washingday." During Sunday, Mr. Pepys generally contrived to indulge himself with a tolerable share of good eating, and a sufficiency, at the least, of drinking; on one occasion this last a little interfered with the prayers: 29th September, 1661. What at dinner and at supper I drink, I know not how, of my own accord, so much wine, that I was even almost foxed, and my head aked all night; so home and to bed without prayers, which I never did yet, since I came to the house, of a Sunday night: I being now so out of order that I durst not read prayers, for fear of being perceived by my servants in what case I was."

This portrait of one nourished in the pure faith of the Church of England, needs not a touch from our pencil, it is so well drawn in every part; neither will we make further remark upon it, but content onrselves with quoting the Saviour's warning: "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Of Mr. Pepys it is sufficient to say in closing, that we have a certificate of his eternal

security, from the hand of one of the successors of the apostles, and therefore are bound to raise no further question. What more is needed? He was buried in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Can the Church mislead us? There are some who would like to ask, Where was the poor sinner's faith as to the merit and the blood of Jesus? Was the promise of God personally applied with power by the Holy Ghost? Was he a man renewed and sanctified by the Divine power? Of these things we have no information, but the enquirer must content himself with the warrant of an Episcopalian divine. If not satisfied with this, we ask indignantly, What more can be required? "June 5th, 1703.

"Last night, at 9 o'clock, I did the last office for your and my good friend, Mr. Pepys, at St. Olaves's Church, where he was laid in a vault of his own making, by his wife and brother.

"The greatness of his behaviour, in his long and sharp trial before his death, was in every respect answerable to his great life; and I believe no man ever went out of this world with greater contempt of it, or a more lively faith in every thing that was revealed of the world to come. I administered the Holy Sacrament twice in his illness to him, and had administered it a third time, but for a sudden fit of illness that happened at the appointed time of administering it. Twice I gave him the absolution of the Church, which he desired, and received with all reverence and comfort; and I never attended any sick or dying person that died with so much Christian greatness of mind, or a more lively sense of immortality, or so much fortitude and patience, in so long and sharp a trial, or greater resignation to the will, which he most devoutly acknowledged to be the wisdom of God; and I doubt not but he is now a very blessed spirit, according to his motto, MENS CUJUSQUE IS EST QUISQUE.

"GEORGE HICKES."

Unity in Fundamentals.

A PAPER READ AT OUR FIRST CONFERENCE.

BY F. WHITE, OF CHELSEA.

BEFORE I attempt to show the necessity of union on the funda

mentals, I shall be expected to say a few words upon the fundamentals themselves. To define correctly what these are, and what they are not, is, you will allow, a difficult matter. Nearly every section of the Church has its own fundamentals. To the man who is accustomed to study the Scriptures in their connection, and to view the book, not as a mere theological system, but as a perfect, and complete revelation of the divine mind, each part of which is indispensable to the whole, every one of its doctrines will appear of such vast import, that he will be at a loss to decide which are fundamentals, and which are not. To him, in a sense, all are fundamentals; all is essential. We may compare the doctrines of our faith to a bridge, perfect in all its proportions,