"I know," said the Squire, "that some were at first offended, but none knew why. I never heard the faintest approach to a reasonable objection to this plainly scriptural manner of _secret_ almsgiving; nor did I ever hear an argument of any weight in favour of the plate system, except that it sometimes forces money from unwilling contributors, and that argument is too contemptible to notice.
"The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
"See, the Church her head once more hath lifted; Seemly order dwells within her gate; God-sent art adorns her holy precincts, And no more she lieth desolate.
"What is it that she is saying, brothers? All the subtle skill of graver's hand, All the heavenward shafts, and bended arches, Utter speech to those that understand.
"You can hear them telling some things loudly, Telling of ungrudging love and care; But I catch an inner voice that pleadeth Soft and sweet, like music in the air.
"And it saith,--from every wreathèd column, Every leafy carving, breathing low,-- 'Take our message, O ye _living_ temples, Fold it in your breasts, before ye go.
"'Purge the shrine of your own souls within you From all stain of pride and sloth and sin, Grace it with all saintly decoration: Then your God shall come and dwell within.'"
Illustration: Church of St. John, Highbridge
It was the day before the Festival of the Ascension, and Ascension Day being not only one of the greatest festivals of the Christian year, but being, moreover, the day on which the people of St. Catherine's were used to commemorate with great rejoicing the restoration of their now beautiful temple, old Matthew and the Vicar were busily engaged assisting those of the parishioners, old and young, who had the time to spare and were sufficiently skilful, in decorating the church with flowers and evergreens.
"I remember, sir, when I was a boy, we used to call those twelve pillars that the ladies are putting the flowers on, the _twelve Apostles_," said old Matthew.
"It's a common number in large churches," replied the Vicar, "and the name for them which you remember is not an unusual one. I remember one church where there are eleven pillars, and the old sexton told me they stood for eleven of the Apostles, and that there would have been twelve, but Judas was omitted. The pillars of the church, as the chief supports of the fabric, are said to represent the Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs[171]. As I have often told you, there is hardly a part of the church without its special meaning: 'even the smallest details should have a meaning, or serve a purpose[172],' and whatever has a meaning serves a purpose, and whatever serves a purpose, has a meaning, and a very important one too. The four main walls of the building have a similar meaning to the pillars. They are supposed to represent the four Evangelists[173]. The stones of which they are composed represent Christians--the living stones of the spiritual building[174]; the cement which joins them together is charity, 'the bond of perfectness[175]' which binds together the members of the Christian Church. The door[176] represents the means of entrance to the invisible kingdom; the windows remind us of that sacred presence which keeps out the storm of angry and sinful life, and admits the light of Christ and His Word. You see, Matthew, the old church builders were themselves _Churchmen_; sometimes even bishops were famous architects, like Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, and William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester; and then they made themselves felt in all their works--I mean, they gave a religious character and meaning to all parts of the structure they reared. And so there were always a hundred preachers in the Church, though not a tongue uttered a single word."