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R E

^.jy

A PLEA

i.t yt

FOR

faiiijH^ul.f

UNITED RESPONDING

IN THE

Jfttdlft WLt^x%i9\i» of ci^otr.

BY THE

REV. J. F. HODGSON, M. A.,

t'tcttr(tf;^or0l)am, ^\\^n\^ (JBnolanf.

•' I speak as unto wise men ; ^udgt ye what I say."

, TJORONTO :

PRINTED BY ROWSELL & ELLIS.

1859.

a Jplea for Hniteb Kesponblng.

There is nothing more common in the pre-
sent day than to hear people making com-
plaints of the dulness of our English Church
worship. These complaints are made not
only by those who are "not of us,'^ as by
Romanists, Dissenters, and others, — but even
by our own people, — even by those who wish
to be devout and holy, but w^ho, nevertheless,
strive against it as they may, cannot help
confessing to a certain weariness which will
creep over them long before service is ended.
They seem not to delight in the public wor-
sliip of their God with that true joy of heart
which should be, they are well aw^are, one
of the chief characteristics of a Christian's wor-
ship, but attend upon it rather as a positive
duty which it would be sinful to omit ; but
which, if they did not feel it a duty, they
would not, from any delight they take in the
thing itself, frequent.

Now the object of these pages is to dis-
cover, if possible, whether any reasonable
frround exists for these complaints ; and if

C-

•

so, to suggest the means for its mitigation or
removal.

No doubt part of the evil lies in the
unchastened heart and affections of the wor-
shipper ; and consequently, part of the re-
medy lies in himself, in the better preparation
of his own heart ; and it may as well be ob-
served once for all — That were we admitted
to ^,he choirs of the blessed angels themselves
we must have chastened hearts and affections,
or we should not enjoy the service or appre-
ciate the privilege.

A portion, however, of the evil complained
of may lie elsewhere ; that is, either in the
service itself, which may be in its own na-
ture unedifying and dull, or in our mode of
celebratingit, which may be faulty and weari-
some. Is there any thing in these or either
of them calculated to chill rather than to
foster the affections, to check rather than to
promote the flow of religious emotions ? Is
there any thing needksshj uninviting to those
(unhappily too many) who are yet to be won
over to take delight in the things of the
Spirit ? It is not the service itself which is
to blame ; even enemies allow that our /br^
of worship is most edifying and beautiful,

e/(T«re/y calculated lor ^^'^ '

.-vi -■ ■»» "Wx y^ O* /^

ny\^^ f«,Tii

pUipUGU. iUC AUtULi

then, if any, must be in our mode of ceh-
hrating it.

Now in order that we may determine
whether this is so or not, the question first has
to be settled, How ought the service to be
celebrated ? Is there any rule or principle laid
down to which we can refer ? At present no
rule seems to be practically recognised. The
minister, in reading, pursues his own way, the
clerk his, the children thei :s, * tl^ rest of the
congregation theirs. The ^x^spoiises in most
Churches, so far from affording an agreeable
sound, are, without exaggerruci:, aj^imbls or
discords. Is there then no rule on the subject
by which a Christian congregation ought to be
guided ? There is indeed such a rule, and it is
because we have, except to f^ very limiter ex-
tent, lost sight of this, that fault must be
found with our ordinary mode of celebrating
the public worship of God. Hence it is that
people complain of God's worship being
heavy, and tedious, and dull. They are uncon-
scious of the cause perhaps, and would be the
. very first, possibly , to quarrel with the remedy
about to be proposed, but however this may

•

^ The children here referred to mean those of the Parish
School, who form a feature in every English Parish Church
Congregation.

be, the secreti(;7iy our service appears dull and
uninviting to so many is (beyond all doubt)
because the service is so generally performed
in defiance of those principles which nature
and reason jointly inculcate, and which have
been recognised in the most express terms
by public authority. For where any thing is
done in such a way as to contravene princi-
ples founded in nature and reason, it is not
in man to take delight in it ; to his nature
order, and beauty, and harmony recommend
themselves ; whilst on the other hand defor-
mity, confusion, and discord are an abomina-
tion to him.- Now as in the public wor-
ship of God the sound of the voice is an
essential element, what must be the effect
if no regard is had to the laws which regulate
sound ? If a number of persons attempt to
speak together without regard to these, dis-
cord and confusion must ensue ; the effect of
which cannot but be wearisome. The pub-
lic worship of God therefore ought to be
conducted so that the laws which regulate
sound be not contravened. On this natural
and reasonable proposition is founded the
express injunction of Queen Elizabeth as to
the way in which the service should be per--
formed, viz., '' We will that there be u modest

and distinct song so used in all parts of the
common prayers of the Church, that the same
may be as plainly understood as if it were read
without sirigingJ' This is what is meant in
the directions of the Prayer Book by the
word '' say/' for it is quite evident from
the injunction, that the service was never
intended to be ''read," as one would read
a sermon or a book; but to be ''said"
in such a manner as to admit of many per-
sons joining together without discord or
confusion. It is for this cause that Evening
Prayer in the calendar is called ' ' Even-

song.

It might be objected here that this injunc-
tion and these observations are all very well
as regards cathed.rals, but that they cannot
be meant for ordinary congregations in parish
churches. But this is not so ; the injunction
is based on a broad and general principle,
and relates to all kinds of public worship.
Not that the modest parish church will vie
with the cathedral in the decorations of its
song any more than of its architecture. Yet
as one principle may well be observed in the
architecture of both places, so, unless we love

flnlnpss mirl wf^nrinpsis must one DrinciDlebe

•i

observed in the worship of both ; the only
difference being in the extent to which tlie
principle admits of being carried out.

But is it not very difficult and strange to
perform the service thus ? Strange it may
be, but surely not difficult. On the other
hand, if a number of persons were already
speaking in the same voice it would be diffi-
cult not to join in with them. That there
are, however, difficulties to be overcome,
cannot be disputed, but these are occasioned
by timidity and prejudice, not by the thing
itself. What I plead for is Natural, and
what we should do spontaneously, were we
really left to ourselves, and nothing can be
more certain than that whatever is thus
''natural,'' cannot be really difficult, and
would very soon cease to appear strange.

But inorde^that the divine service be con-
ducted thus, as it should be, in compliance
with the laws of reason and nature and Queen
Elizabeth's injunction, what must be done ?
What steps must be taken ? First, the minis-
ter and the congregation must understand
one another, and realise the fact, that for the
service to be properly done, there must be
between them a correspondence in tone of

. '■ •'' •^.

voice, and an agreement in time and rythm.
The minister should preserve an even, dis-
tinct> modulated sound, such as may most
readily be adopted by che people ; for but a
poor attempt at responding can be expected
when no proportion is preserved between the
minister and congregation. The voice of
the minister should be continued with an
even sound, without rising or falling m pitch, '''
if possible, from the beginning to the end
of any verse or prayer, the last syllable of
which should be slightly sustained, in order
that the congregation may the more readily
take up the ''Amen,'' or other response, in
unison or in harmony with that tone of voice
in which the prayer had been uttered. In
the " Creed '' and in the '' Lord's Prayer,"
and such other portions of the service as
minister and people repeat together, the same
tone of voice ought especially to be used,
and they should be said v/ith much care and
distinctness, the tone manly and dignified.

In the Psalms and Canticles, when not
sungi the same rule should be observed.

* At the same time care must be taken not to be sleepy
or mechanical in iltterance— it is quite necessary to preserve
life and spirit and variety— which is of easy attainment with-
out altering the pitch of voice.

Let the minister and people correspond in
voice, time, and rythni, and let the voice
preserve one sustainel sound, the greatest
care being taken not to begin before the
Choir and to pause at the colon in the middle
of each verse, which point is meant quite
as much for the guidance of those who
'' say " the Psalms as for those who chant or
''sing '' them. Inthetitle page of the Prayer
Book they are expressly referred to as being
. '' pointed as they are to be sung or said in
churches." Thr pointing'' is nothing else
but the colon in the middle of each verse •
and indeed so necessary is it to cl>serve these
points in saying the Psalms, that where they
are disregarde.', it is not only impossible to
recognise .jat singular sweetness of rythm
which it is the character of the Psalms so
remarkably to possess, but the result must
be a confused, indistinct, and discordant mur-
mur of many voices, which is therefore in
general almost inaudible, because if these
discordant sounds were made louder, the
fioise would be intolerable

Such then is the principle hj which the
congregational worship of the Church ought
to he governed, and it is incredible what a

solemnity and dignity our public devotions
would assume if minister and people would
resolutely determine upon being guided
thereby ; our services w^ould bear on the very
face of them order and majesty, the. sound
would be suited to the words, and would
conduce to summon up and to sustain those
feelings with w^hich a spiritual worshipper
ought to be actuated in all parts of the Com-
mon Prayer ; nay, when the service is thus
performed, it is next to impossible for a
devout worshipper to grow Aveary or dull.

We must now recall attention to the ordi-
nary way in which our public devotions are
celebrated. Can any thing be more alien
from the principles above laid down ? the
principles which nature, reason, and the com-
pilers of our services unite in recommending.
For what is the fact ? In the first place,
those parts of the service wherein the whole
congregation is expected audibhj to join, are
in many places neglected by the congregation
altogether, and left to the hurried and spirit-
less utterance of the clerk or a few of the con-
gregation, and it is rare to enter any church
where the responses are made with that due
rej^ard to regularity and order and the laws oi

sound wliicli ought unquestionably to prevail
in united worship. If our people offer up
their petitions with one heart, they do not do
so with one voice. An audible response (ex-
cept perhaps from the clerk) is scarcely ever
heard ; the greater part whisper or mutter,
some speaking faster, some slower, a id if any
are more audible than the rest, yet all respect
to time, concord, and njthm is utterly lost
sight of, each one, apparently, reading out
his response without the smallest reference
to the congregation along with whom he is
supposed to be responding, forgetful of the
social character of the service of our Common
Prayer. And nowhere is this seeming want
of heart and life more perceptible than in the
cold and apathetic ''Amen/' It would
be something if only an attempt were made
to restore this one often repeated and impor-
tant response to its due place. There was a
time when we are told the " A-men"* of the
Christian worshippers shook the very roof of
the place which held them ; doubtless they
responded in the same voice, not the less

* The first syllable of which should be pronounced open as in
Father.

•^

heartily, because they did it under the gui-
dance of a rule or system ; on the other
hand, this very rule which guided them re-
lieved them from the trammels of disorder
and confusion, and enabled them to indicate
energetically the heart's assent to the prayers
and supplications which had been offered up
for them by their minister in their hearing.
But it would be not only unjust but absurd
to lay the blame of this discordant respond-
ing entirely at the doors of the congregation.
How can they be expected to respond aright
unless they canhave their minister, his voice,
tone, and manner, to look up to for guidance ?
And what measure oi assistance or guidance
do they in general meet with in this respect,
from their minister '^ Absolutelv none iit
all. Most clergymen indeed are, without
perhaps being aware of it, a hindrance in
this respect rather than a help ; for can it
be disputed that nine ministers out of every
ten have each his own way of reading the
service, which no one else could follow with-
out the appearance of mockery ? One seeks
to be impressive — another lays great em-
phasis on certain words — another repeats
the service as rapidly as he can — another

■i.

preaches the prayers — others have a sing-
song way of their own, altering the pitch of
their voice half a dozen times in the same
prayer — others drop it at every pause, in-
variablj^ at the end — hastening the closing
syllables which ought to be sustained.

Now what chance is there in any of these
cases for the congregation to produce, if
they desired it, an united response ? The
wonder is, 7iot that people make the respon-
ses so indifferently as they do, but rather,
under such circumstances, that they can be
prevailed on to respond at all.

In this dull, heavy, uninteresting manner
is our public worship ordinarily gone through
— tolerated rather than enjoyed. What won-
der that complaints are made of dulness to
the spirits, and weariness to the flesh ? For
it has been well asked, '' Who that has the
least ear or feeling for regulated sound, can
be otherwise than distressed at being, week
after week, condemned to listen to the
miserable duet between the minister and
clerk, repeating the psalms, and hymns,
the litany and suffrages, the Confession, the
Lord's prayer, and the Belief, with reference
to no principle, with no regard to resrularitv.
oftentimes five or six words apart T It is

more tliaii distressing, it is grievous to be
compelled to listen to the school children in
particular, Avho are often permitted in God's
house, to hurry over these solemn portions
of the divine service in a way which would
not be tolerated in their school room, but
which is tolerated in God's house, because
the principle on which Church worship should
be conducted has been so universally lost
sight of and neglected.

Is there not then under these circum-
stances an absolute call upon us to do some-
thing ? Is it not high time to revert to nature
and reason, and to conform ourselves to the
only knoirn principles upon which the ser-
vice of God ca?i be reverently, orderly, and
solemnly performed ? The time is not far
distant, let us hope, when the clergy, as a
body, will feel the truth which these remarks
have dwelt upon ; and Ihen when they have
become persuaded, let them by degrees
endeavour to conform themselves to the rules
laid down. Let them observe as nearly as
possible one tone of voice throughout a
prayer ; let them be deliberate and even in
reciting the psalms, litany, and suffrages, ob-

serving the colons.

rryu^ 4.

he transition from their
own way to the right way, will thus be easy

and almost imperceptible, for it must not be
supposed requisite, in order to act upon the
principle in question, to repeat the service
\. :th that decided mudcal recitation observed
in cathedrals, which is only suited to an
organised choir ; on the other hand, it is
more proper in ordinary parish churches to
speak in the natural tone of voice, only
minding to preserve it firm, even, dignified
and sustained* When this point has been
attained, then let the clerk and the chil-
drenf be trained to respond in accordance
with the minister— this will soon attract
those members of the congregation, who
have an ear, to join in, and in no very long
time the whole congregation (the author
speaks from his own experience) will res-
pond, if not in the same tone, yet harmoni-
nious'ly— and in the same time, preserving
the proper rythm and accent.

And note, that every member of a parish
choir ought to consider himself quite as
much responsible for assisting in this depart-

* The feelings ought to bo expressed by allowing the vowe to
dwell slightly on emphatic syllables— not by a rise or fall m the

pitch.

+ Sec note at foot of page 1.

ln.Ttfi»J\iiiffl|iWaif. IJH

meut as in the singing. There will be some
bashfalness, and hesitation, it may be, to
overcome at first, but which a very little
pains and perseverance will subdue.

It was not the object of these pages to
enter into the question of chanting the
psalms, or singing the litany and suffrages
to the time-honored cadences which have
been from the earliest ages set to them, and
which have never altered. Great facilities
are now provided for the more general attain-
ment of these helps to devotion and praise.

We conclude by repeating that if we could
but return to the good old ivay, the effect
would be felt in quarters where we should
least expect it, and the service would be fre-
quented by many who had hitherto despised
or neglected it, repelled by the negligent,
hurried, cold, spiritless, discordant, and
therefore uninviting manner in which our
divine worship is now for the most part
performed. The author has purposely con-
fined himself to the more humble effort of
pleading for an united response, on the
broad ground, that it is useless to attempt to
fly before we have learned to walk.

IiowsELL & ELLiifj Printers, KiMa^SmKiiT, Tokonto.