,transcribed from the #ahfd ,rivingtons 
edition by ,david ,price1 email         
ccx#jgdpglaf4org                        
,picture3 ,pamphlet cover               
,,an ,,address                          
,,to                       ,,the        
,,sisters ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter',s ,,home1 
,,brompton1                             
,,founded ,,for ,,the ,,reception ,,of  
,,convalescent ,,women ,,of ,,good      
,,character ,,till                      
,,the ,,completion ,,of ,,their         
,,recovery3                             
,,delivered ,,on                        
,,the ,,anniversary ,,of ,,the          
,,foundation1                           
,,june #cj1 #ahfd4                      
,,by                        ,,edward    
,,meyrick ,,goulburn1 ,d4,d4            
,,prebendary ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul',s1      
,,chaplain ,,of ,,the ,,bishop ,,of     
,,oxford1               ,,and ,,one ,,of
 ,,her ,,majesty',s ,,chaplains ,,in    
,,ordinary4                             
99 99 99 99 99                          

,,london2                               
,,rivingtons1 ,,waterloo ,,place3       
,,and ,,high ,,street1 ,,oxford4        
#ahfd4                                  
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                               
,,gilbert ,,and ,,rivington1 ,,printers1
                              ,,st4     
,,john',s ,,square4                     
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,to                      ,,the ,,right 
,,hon4 ,,and ,,right ,,reverend         
,,archibald ,,campbell1 ,,lord ,,bishop 
,,of ,,london1                          
,,the ,,visitor ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter',s   
,,home1                                 
,,these ,,pages                         
,,are                            ,,by   
,,his ,,kind ,,permission               
,,inscribed4          ,,introduction4   
,,among the many signs of the vitality  
of the ,english ,church1 which every    
dutiful son of hers will hail with joy1 
are the various organizations of  the   
,work of ,women which have recently     

sprung up amongst us1 the  ,institution 
of ,deaconesses1 the employment of      
,parochial ,mission ,women1  and the    
foundation of ,sisterhoods4  ,it is a   
mistake surely to look coldly  upon such
 movements1 because they assume 7what to
 our generation is7 a  somewhat novel   
form4  ,there ought to be in every      
living ,church a plastic  power1 which  
adapts its machinery to the wants of the
 age1 and to the  ever-varying shapes   
which ,society is taking2 and we rejoice
 to find in  our own ,church evidences  
of this power4  ,enthusiasms many and   
fervent are  rising up in her1 and      
driving her members to these new        
agencies1 which  should not be regarded 
with suspicion because they are new1 but
 rather  tried fairly1 and guided       
discreetly1 and watched vigilantly4     
,watching and guidance they will        
doubtless all of them want2 and most of 
all1 ,communities of women banded       
together under a ,superior for devotion 
and for acts of mercy4  ,the very first 

step of joining such a community  may   
easily be taken in violation of the     
principle 7if not of the letter7  of the
 ,fifth ,commandment4  ,it may be an act
 of will-worship deliberately  committed
 by one who slights ,god's ,ordinance of
 the ,family1 and prefers  ties and     
sympathies of her own creation to those 
with which it has  pleased ,him in ,his 
,providence to surround her4  ,but      
supposing the  community composed       
exclusively of those who have a moral   
right to join it  7of those who have no 
ties1 or none which they cannot         
perfectly satisfy  while living in the  
comparative seclusion of a ,sisterhood71
 the perils to  which their life exposes
 them are not few1 and all the more     
dangerous  because they are subtle4     
,first2 there is a constant tendency to 
erect a  false standard of spirituality 
in the mind1 and to imagine a higher    
degree of perfection to attach to the   
life of a ,sister than to that of an    
equally devoted ,christian woman living 

in the world4  ,this tendency           
culminates in the ,roman phraseology    
8,religious10 as applied to the  members
 of ,monastic ,orders1 a phraseology    
which ,i for one earnestly  deprecate1  
and greatly regret to see adopted by    
some of my clerical  ,brethren in       
speaking of these ,communities4         
8,words10 says ,bacon1 8are  like the   
,tartar's arrows2 they shoot backwards20
 and if we allow  ourselves to call the 
members of our ,sisterhoods             
8,religious10 or to speak  of them as   
being 8in ,religion10 we shall soon come
 to regard their  vocation as more      
spiritual than that of the ,christian   
wife and mother1--a  notion most        
unspiritual and unscriptural in the mind
 of the writer of  this ,address4       
,possibly the life of a ,sister may     
present fewer  difficulties to the      
attainment of a high standard of        
sanctity than life  7under its ordinary 
conditions7 in ,society2 but even if    
this be granted1  which must we rate    

higher1 the faith and zeal which evades 
difficulties1 or the faith and zeal     
which meets and triumphs over them8  ,i 
believe it might be shown that many of  
the most eminent doctors of the         
,church1 previously to the ,reformation1
 have decided that life in the  ,world  
may be altogether as spiritual1 and     
exemplify a standard of  holiness at    
least as high1 as life in a ,convent4   
,then1 again1 it must be  remembered    
that the relations which the members of 
a religious ,community  contract are    
artificial4  ,these ,communities are a  
kind of hotbed for  rearing devotional  
feeling and piety of a high caste4  ,it 
is not at all  necessary to deny that   
very beautiful forms of piety are often 
reared  there1 as very beautiful flowers
 are under glass4  ,but we may          
reasonably  expect the beauty of form to
 be somewhat compensated by want of     
vigour4  ,and of course this is         
especially likely to be the case with   
,communities  of ,women4  ,without      

denying to the piety of ,women very     
great and peculiar  excellences1 beyond 
those which characterize the religious  
feelings of  men1--while fully          
appreciating all the sympathy and power 
of heroic  endurance manifested by      
,christian ,women1 and fully recognizing
 the  general truth1 that ,religion     
thrives far better in the soil of a     
susceptible heart than in that of a     
powerful understanding1--we must yet    
grant that the female type of piety has 
a weak side1--the side1 namely1 of  a   
morbid sentimentalism4  ,now this side  
may be expected to exhibit itself  in   
high relief in our ,sisterhoods1 where  
the sentiments of devout ,women         
constitute the religious atmosphere of  
the place4  ,and as the tone of the     
disciple insensibly reacts upon the tone
 of the teacher1 and what the  first is 
eager to receive the second is usually  
prompt to supply1 it is  likely enough  
that the spiritual pastors and guides of
 such communities  will 7with perfectly 

pure intention and without dreaming of  
evil7 pander  to a style of religion    
very much out of keeping 7to say the    
least of it7  with the sobriety of ,holy
 ,scripture1 and with the staid and     
dignified  tone of the ,book of ,common 
,prayer4  ,those who have read the      
,spiritual  ,letters of ,st4 ,francis de
 ,sales1 and have observed the          
difference of tone  between the         
generality of them which are addressed  
to women1 and the few  in which his     
correspondents are men1 will immediately
 recognize what ,i  mean4  ,souls should
 be dealt with on the same principles1  
whatever souls  they be2 the same       
fervour1 the same unction1 should be    
manifested in the  guidance of either   
sex2 but in the direction of his female 
disciples1  this saintly man displays   
now and then a tincture of              
sentimentalism which  can hardly be     
called healthy4  ,madame de ,chantal and
 the others craved  for something of    
that sort1 and he1 as their director1   

with the utmost  artlessness1 supplied  
it4  ,there may be the truest unction in
 religion  without unctuousness4  ,our  
,litany is an instance of this4    ,the 
great receipt for keeping the tone of   
piety sound and healthy  doubtless lies 
in one word1 ,,work1--work in the cause 
of our suffering  fellow-men4  ,and it  
seems to me to be a proof of the reality
 of the  danger which ,i have just been 
pointing out1 that in some of these     
,communities the ,sisters have begun to 
affect a life of entire seclusion  from 
works of mercy1 under pretence of a     
higher devotion4  ,does not this  show  
that there is something in the moral    
atmosphere of these  communities1 to    
which the healthy1 practical1 sobering  
tendencies of work  are uncongenial8  ,i
 have spoken strongly in the ,address on
 the great  danger and mischief likely  
to accrue from making the purely        
contemplative  or devotional life the   
ideal of high sanctity2 and indeed ,i   
have desired  to make the whole ,address

 a protest against this false theory by 
assuming  7what ,i know to be the case7 
that the ,sisters of ,st4 ,peter's ,home
 are all  busied in works of mercy1 and 
giving them plain1 practical counsels1  
such  as would be equally applicable to 
all the work which has to be done by    
,christians in active life4  ,these     
counsels are so commonplace that those  
who care to read them will probably ask 
for the reasons which justify me  in    
publishing them4    ,my only reason is1 
that the ,founder of the ,home pressed  
their  publication1 under the idea that 
it might be of some use in making the   
,institution known4  ,as he is one of   
those munificent ,benefactors of the    
,church1 occasionally found among the   
wealthy ,laity of this great ,city1 to  
whom the ,clergy at all events are bound
 to hold out the right hand of          
fellowship1 ,i did not feel at liberty  
to decline his request when it was      
pressed upon me4  ,in the vigilant      
superintendence of our ,diocesan 7who   

kindly permits me to inscribe these     
pages to him7 we have every guarantee   
that reasonable people can desire for   
,st4 ,peter's ,home being conducted on  
the soundest principles1 for its members
 being kept in faithful  allegiance to  
the ,church of their ,baptism1 warned   
against and secured  from those dangers 
to which the experience of the ,church  
teaches that  ,religious ,communities   
are exposed1 and made a great blessing  
to those who  are sheltered and tended  
in their quiet retreat1 and to the poor 
and sick  people in their neighbourhood4
          ,,an ,,address1 c4      ,,my  
,,sisters ,,in ,,christ1    ,i ,,read in
 your ,primary ,constitution and        
,statutes that 8the whole work  carried 
on in this place is dedicated to ,st4   
,peter1 who1 more than any  other       
,apostle1 ministered to the sick40  ,i  
suppose that there is in these  words a 
reference to that passage of the ,acts  
of the ,apostles1 in which  we are told 
that the people of ,jerusalem 8brought  

forth the sick into the  streets1 and   
laid them on beds and couches1 that at  
the least the shadow  of ,peter passing 
by might overshadow some of them40  ,it 
is in every way a  remarkable passage4  
,though the notice of these cures       
wrought by the  ,apostle's shadow is so 
incidental1 it is full of instruction4  
,a shadow  is an influence cast by a    
man's body1 and may usefully remind us  
of the  influence cast by his mind4  ,as
 all bodies must cast a shadow in the   
sunlight1 so every rational soul must1  
by the law of our nature1 exert an      
influence in its walk through life on   
every other rational soul with  which it
 comes in contact4  ,however narrow and 
however humble be the  circle in which  
we move1 our character1 habits1 tone1   
certainly tell in  it2 each action1 each
 word1 nay1 each gesture and glance1 is 
an item in  the sum total of our moral  
weight4--,then again1 as we cast our    
shadow on  the pavement unconsciously1  
without deliberate intention1 so the    

moral  influence1 of which ,i am        
speaking1 is exercised when we least    
think of  it4  ,words thrown out when we
 are off our guard1 ways of acting which
  have become more or less instinctive1 
are all full charged with this  moral   
influence1 and have in fact a much more 
powerful 7though a more  subtle7        
efficacy than the things we say and do  
of set purpose4--,then  again1 the      
shadow is always a correct outline of   
the body of which it is  a shadow4  ,and
 the moral influence which we exert     
without being conscious  of it is always
 exactly true to our character1 which   
cannot be said of  our voluntary        
influence4  ,a man may preach1 and      
exhort1 and throw himself  into         
,christian enterprises1 and thus gain a 
reputation for piety1 and yet  be a     
self-seeker1 actuated by ambition1 or a 
desire to stand well with  others4      
,many will say to ,our ,lord at the last
 day1 8,lord1 ,lord1 have we  not       
prophesied in ,thy name8 and in ,thy    

name have cast out devils8 and in  ,thy 
name done many wonderful works80 to whom
 ,he will have to profess1 8,i  never   
knew you40  ,in this case the deliberate
 and voluntary influence  exerted by the
 man misrepresents him2 we gather one   
impression from his  efforts1 and       
another from his real character4  ,but  
the influence which he  exerts          
unconsciously never deceives us4  ,live 
side by side with him for a  month2     
watch him when he is not on parade      
before society1 but with his  family1   
with his children1 with his servants2   
listen to his casual  remarks2 observe  
his character as it transpires at all   
the thousand pores  of daily life2 and  
the impression will be in the main true2
 it will  correspond to what he really  
is4    ,it would be a very curious1 and 
,i doubt not a very alarming spectacle1 
if  we could all of us see how very much
 we have done in the course of our      
lives by unconscious influence4  ,but   
this is what history and biography      

never reveal4  ,they tell us of         
enterprises taken in hand1 battles      
fought1  good causes advocated and won1 
in short1 of every stir and movement    
made  in the world4  ,but of that subtle
 reciprocal leavening of human          
characters by one another of which we   
are speaking1 because it is so          
noiselessly effected1 they take no      
account4  ,yet secret and silent as it  
is1 this involuntary influence is       
infinitely more powerful than the       
voluntary4  ,just so some of the most   
powerful agents in ,nature are the      
quietest--do not thunder upon the ear or
 flash upon the eye4  ,gravitation  is a
 tremendous force1 operating all around 
us1 and binding the planets  to the     
,sun4  ,yet ,gravitation is perfectly   
noiseless4 #ad    ,you would consider1  
,i suppose1 that the ends of an         
,institution like this  were fully      
answered1 and then only fully answered1 
if the shadow of ,st4  ,peter's ,home   
were1 in the high sense of the word1 a  

healing shadow--if  the moral and       
spiritual influence exercised by the    
,sisters upon the  patients were such   
that souls were won by it to ,our ,lord4
  ,and ,i can  quite conceive that this 
might be so under the proper conditions4
  ,true2  the period for which each     
patient may reside in the ,home is but  
short4  ,but then three or four weeks'  
association with devoted servants of    
,christ1 whose devotion transpires      
naturally and is not obtrusively put    
forward1 may1 under ,his ,grace1 work a 
great change1 and leave an  impression  
which will never be erased4  ,even the  
shadow of ,peter passing  by is         
sometimes effectual to a spiritual cure4
  ,if the fire of ,god's  ,grace is     
burning bright and clear upon the altar 
of our hearts1 it will  throw out sparks
 in our passage through life4  ,and it  
is in the nature of  sparks to kindle1  
when they light on combustible material4
  ,every soul  with which we come in    
contact is sympathetic1 and accessible  

at all times  through its sensibilities4
  ,and its sympathies and sensibilities 
become  greater oftentimes in the hour  
of weakness and necessary withdrawal    
from  the world4  ,persons come to your 
,home to convalesce4  ,they are not in  
bodily pain2 for their cure is supposed 
to be already effected in the           
,hospital4  ,their hearts are in some   
measure predisposed to gratitude by a   
sense of ,god's goodness in restoring   
them1 and of your kindness in  receiving
 them under your roof4  ,hence you have 
a very fair field for the  exertion of  
,christian influence4  ,and ,i can well 
conceive that many might  derive a      
lasting benefit from association with   
you2 and that looking back  upon their  
past lives in advanced age they might   
say3 8,the first  impressions ,i had of 
the reality of things unseen1 and of the
 powers of  the world to come1 was given
 me at ,st4 ,peter's ,home1 not so much 
by any  definite teaching ,i carried    
away1 as by the whole conduct and way of

 life  of the ,sisters4  ,in tending me1
 they made me feel that their ways and  
aims were not of this world2 and ,i     
still retain the impression which that  
sight of living goodness made upon me40 
,it will be so1 my ,sisters in ,christ1 
if while you diligently tend these      
patients in pursuance of the vocation   
which you have undertaken1 you at  the  
same time diligently cultivate the      
interior life of piety in your own      
hearts4  ,and in order to that diligent 
cultivation1 ,i shall prescribe to  you 
to-day three spiritual exercises1       
comprehending1 as ,i believe1 the  sum  
and substance of ,personal ,religion4   
,i believe that the diligent  practice  
of all three will enable any one1 by    
,god's good blessing1 to  cast a healing
 shadow1 to throw all around him a      
decided influence for  good2 and that   
even one of them devoutly observed1 and 
wrought into the  texture of the mind1  
will be the means of great advance4     
,but though ,i  speak of them in these  

terms1 and promise these effects from   
them1 you  must not suppose that ,i am  
going to give other than the plainest   
and most  commonplace advice4  ,i have  
no specific for the conduct of a        
spiritual  life but such as has been    
given you over and over again2 and if ,i
 had1  you would rightly regard it with 
suspicion4  ,for the way of ,christ's   
,saints1 blessed be ,his ,name1 is a    
well-trodden way2 and the advice for    
,his ,church1 when she would seek ,him1 
is1 8,go thy way forth by the  footsteps
 of the flock40                         
99 99 99 99 99    ,i4  ,the first       
practice we recommend for securing a    
holy influence upon  others is the      
,practice of ,god's ,presence1--that the
 mind should be  momentarily collected  
in hours of business1 as well as in     
hours of  devotion--the oftener the     
better--and placed with a holy          
ejaculation1 or a  devout aspiration1 or
 an expression of confidence or love1   
under ,his ,eye4  ,i should not know how

 better to define this exercise than by 
calling it a  momentary glance at       
,christ1 away even from those           
occupations which are  the task-work ,he
 has set us4  ,a momentary glance4  ,do 
not think it  necessary always mentally 
to repeat some set ejaculation2 that    
might be a  distraction1 and create     
absence of mind1 when all your faculties
 are  needed for what you are engaged   
in2 but look away to ,him for the       
instant1  and then back again1 nothing  
doubting but that ,he can interpret for 
you  the need of your heart4    ,the    
importance of this practice in the      
cultivation of the spiritual life  can  
really be hardly exaggerated4  ,to begin
 with the beginning4  ,we read  that the
 first effect of the ,fall upon the mind
 of our first parents was  to make them 
shun ,god1 and hide themselves from the 
,divine ,presence among  the trees of   
the garden4  ,now ,grace is corrective  
of the mischief done by  the ,fall2 and 
its operations are the very reverse of  

those of our corrupt  nature4  ,as sin  
therefore drives man to screen himself  
by diversions1 or  by business1 from    
,god's ,presence1 so it is one of the   
first instincts of  ,grace to seek      
,god's ,face4  ,we may do so now with   
the utmost confidence  through the      
,blood of ,our ,lord1 knowing that      
,justice itself has nothing to  allege  
against us when we come before ,god with
 that plea2 and the oftener  we do so   
amidst the occupations1 hurry1 and cares
 of daily life1 the  holier and the     
happier shall we be4--,next2 this is the
 only real method of  fulfilling the    
great ,new ,testament ,prayer-precept2  
8,pray without  ceasing40  ,we must not 
fritter away the meaning of those sacred
 words1 by  representing them to our    
minds as a rhetorical form of saying1   
8,pray  very often40  ,to pray is to    
seek ,god's ,face--is it not8  ,then if 
a state  of mind could be more or less  
realized1 in which the soul is always   
conscious of being under ,god's ,eye1   

would not that be prayer without        
ceasing8  ,and this state is not to be  
attained except by constant  momentary  
reminiscences of ,god's neighbourhood1  
and fervent breathings of  the heart    
towards ,him4  ,when attained1 it does  
not really interfere with  occupations1 
though it might seem that in any mental 
work it would be a  distraction to turn 
the mind away4  ,for the state is a     
consciousness of  ,god's ,presence4     
,now consciousness of the human presence
 is quite  compatible with vigorous     
exercise of the mind4  ,i am thinking at
 present  of the subject on which ,i am 
speaking to you1 and how ,i am to       
prosecute  it2 yet not for a moment do  
,i lose the consciousness that your eye 
is  upon me4  ,again2 say that ,i am    
walking to a certain place1 and that in 
doing so1 ,i am engaged in earnest      
conversation with a friend4  ,we are    
both thinking of our arguments1 and how 
we shall meet what is advanced by  one  
another2 but all the while1 the         

consciousness is present to us that  we 
are making the right turns1 and really  
advancing to the place for  which we are
 bound4  ,but ,i should wrong the sense 
of the ,divine ,presence1  if ,i said   
only that it need be no interference    
with our occupations2 ,i  should rather 
say that it is the greatest furtherance 
to them4  ,for every  work needs energy 
to be done well2 and what secret of     
energy is  comparable to the refreshment
 of spirit which may be derived from the
  thought that we are under ,god's ,eye1
 working for ,him1 and with the         
encouragement of ,his smile8  ,the      
thought is as like a breath of sweet air
  sweeping across a wayside dusty       
heather4--,once again2 ,faith is the    
great  principle of the renewal of our  
character4  ,without ,faith there is no 
elevation of mind1 no spiritual         
buoyancy1 no hope1 no possibility of    
advance or improvement4  ,now when we   
recommend the constant reminiscence  of 
,god1 we recommend virtually a constant 

exercise of ,faith4  8,faith is  the    
evidence of things not seen40  ,the     
,presence of ,god is of course a  8thing
 not seen40  ,and of all things not seen
 it is the nearest to us1  and that in  
which we have the most vital interest4  
,habitually to assure  our hearts of    
this 8thing not seen0 is to live by     
,faith4  ,and to live by  ,faith is to  
overcome the world and self2 it is the  
life for which ,christ  redeemed1 and   
for which the ,holy ,ghost regenerated  
us4    ,most true it is that those who  
honestly attempt this exercise of ,faith
  find it difficult4  ,what attainment  
worth making1 either in things  natural 
or spiritual1 was ever easy8  ,every    
thing is granted1 not  instantaneously1 
but in course of time1 to prayer and    
striving4  8,try  again0 is the simple  
expedient1 which must be resorted to    
after a hundred  failures4  ,no wonder  
that in a world of sense and numberless 
distractions  the ,presence of ,god     
should be a hard lesson to learn4  ,but 

when learned1  it is a great secret of  
holy influence2 for it transpires1      
though we say  nothing to that effect1  
through the calmness and brightness of  
our minds1  that we are much with ,god4 
,and a portion of this lesson may be    
mastered  daily4                        
99 99 99 99 99    ,,ii4  ,the second    
practice recommended for the cultivation
 of the interior  life is that of       
submission to the ,will of ,god4  ,this 
submission we may  and must learn to    
yield in the little trials and crosses  
of daily life4  ,the real reason why1   
when great trials come1 ,christians are 
so little  prepared to meet them--why   
even persons religious in the main are  
all  abroad1 and know not which way to  
turn1 when they are visited with        
bereavement or bodily suffering--is1    
that they have never1 if ,i may so  say1
 acclimatized themselves to the loving  
endurance of ,god's ,will amidst  the   
numerous little thwartings and          
contradictions of daily life4  ,people  

will go on thinking 7or acting as if    
they thought7 that nothing short  of a  
calamity is a sufficiently dignified    
occasion for the display of  religious  
principle2 and thus they do not avail   
themselves of the  annoyances of daily  
life1 as a field for the cultivation of 
patience and  surrender of the will4    
,and thus numerous precious             
opportunities of  growth in grace run to
 waste4    ,my ,sisters in ,christ1     
cultivate this habit of surrendering    
your will in  trifling matters to ,god4 
,you must know by experience that the   
discipline  of an ,institution like this
 is by no means a security against the  
little  crosses and contradictions of   
daily life4  ,a task falls to your lot  
which  is not that which you like best1 
or think yourself most fit for4  ,or1 a 
patient is discontented and hard to     
please1 peevish in the course of        
convalescence1 and apparently unmindful 
of the kindness you are showing  her4   
,or1 there is some collision of tempers 

between ,sisters of very  different     
characters4  ,or1 there is some cause of
 anxiety connected with  your absent    
family1 which weighs heavily upon your  
mind1 and tempts you  to collapse into a
 mechanical performance of your duties4 
,now these and  the like circumstances  
may all be accepted devoutly as the     
little  cross--the cross exactly fitted 
to your stature and strength--which your
  ,divine ,master bids you take up and  
carry after ,him4  ,pray and try to     
embrace it as ,his choice for you4  ,say
 in your heart1 when the stress of  the 
trial is painfully felt1 8,this is the  
,will of ,god in ,christ ,jesus         
concerning me20 and give ,god thanks for
 it1 as for all the incidents of  your  
lot4  ,not the ,will of ,god simply1 but
 the ,will of ,god in ,christ  ,jesus   
concerning me2 a ,will therefore of     
infinite ,love and ,grace1  reaching me 
as it does through the avenue of my     
,saviour's ,mediation4  ,practise this  
with prayer continually2 and the gradual

 result will be a  growing suavity and  
equableness of spirit1 which cannot be  
disturbed even  by great reverses4  ,and
 there is no part of the ,christian     
,example which  tells more upon others  
than this suavity and equableness4  ,a  
mind which  7though all its             
susceptibilities are alive7 cannot be   
thrown into  disorder or robbed of its  
serenity by troubles1 makes itself felt 
by all  who come within the range of its
 influence as a heavenly mind4  ,it is  
,st4  ,peter's shadow falling on a fever
 patient4                               
99 99 99 99 99    ,,iii4  ,the third and
 last practice recommended to you is    
that of a single  intention1 directing  
all you do1 however secular and         
commonplace1 to the  ,service of ,christ
 in ,his members4  ,in a place like this
 you have great  advantages for this    
exercise4  ,in ordinary life the        
pursuits of men and  women 7with the    
exception of the ,pastoral ,charge7 can 
only be connected  remotely with the    

great end of ,our ,lord's ,service4  ,it
 is ,his will1 no  doubt1 that the      
present system of ,society should work  
on till the ,second  ,advent2 and its   
continuance involves all the various    
duties which flow  out of various       
positions4  ,i am well aware that the   
humblest of these  duties may have the  
right intention imported into it1 and   
become through  that intention an       
acceptable service2 but still it is an  
advantage to  have a duty which stands  
in very near relation to the great end4 
,now  your duties here are of this      
character4  ,you tend the infirm1 or you
  instruct the ignorant1 or you visit   
the poor4  ,now it is very easy to see  
in each sick person1 in each ignorant   
person1 in each poor person1 a  member  
of ,christ4  ,he ,himself has           
constituted the hungry1 the thirsty1    
the stranger1 the naked1 the sick1 the  
prisoner1 ,his representatives1 and  has
 assured us that what is done to them1  
,he will count as done to  ,himself4    

,so that these patients1 these pupils1  
these destitute people1  are in fact a  
,sacrament1 having ,christ hidden       
underneath them4  ,they  indicate to us 
where ,he is1 and in what quarter we may
 do ,him direct  ,service4  ,now this   
should be to you1 not a great comfort   
only1 but a  great help in the ,divine  
,life4  ,the intention to serve ,him in 
,his members  may be so readily formed1 
no doubt whatever resting on the fact   
that ,he  may be really served in this  
shape4  ,then1 too1 this thought will   
stand  you in good stead1 when your     
kindness is not reciprocated2 when you  
are  met by indifference and coldness1  
or thrown out of heart by ignorance and 
perversity4  ,it was not to them you    
offered your service1 but to ,him in    
them4  ,and you may be sure that1       
whatever their mind may be1 ,he is not  
unrighteous to forget your work and     
labour of love1 which love ye have      
showed for ,his ,name's sake4  ,you may 
have failed in your object of giving    

relief1 or communicating instruction1 or
 soothing a sufferer2 but there  can be 
no failure in the ,service rendered to  
,him1 if your intention to  render it   
has been sincere4  ,remember in this    
matter of intention that  there is no   
duty so trifling1 no service so humble1 
which may not be done  to the ,lord4    
,and in doing the commonest things1 pray
 and strive to  exclude as much as may  
be the operation of lower motives4  ,let
 the  thought be simply1 8,for ,thee1   
dear ,lord40  ,when the habit has been  
acquired of doing trifles thus1 it will 
communicate a grace to our  actions1 and
 a brightness and alacrity to our       
spirits in performing them1  which      
cannot fail of being felt by those under
 whose eyes we act4  ,men  and women are
 very quick at reading one another's    
real motives4  ,worldliness of heart and
 secularity of aim is sure to transpire 
to those  around us1 however much we may
 array ourselves in the livery of       
religion4  ,love of power1 or love of   

pre-eminence1 or mortified vanity1--if  
we are  under the dominion of these     
sentiments1 we cannot easily disguise   
them  from others1 however effectually  
we may close our own eyes to their      
presence within4  ,and similarly1 when  
the simple motive to serve and  please  
,christ reigns in any heart1 men        
speedily discover it1 and  recognize it 
as something above nature4  ,and the    
discovery of this  supernatural aim     
impresses them much more forcibly for   
good than a  thousand efforts made of   
set purpose to reclaim and convert them4
                                    99  
99 99 99 99    ,we have spoken of the   
,service rendered to ,christ in ,his    
members4  ,fervently do ,i trust that in
 all ,english ,sisterhoods this ,service
 will  ever hold a foremost place4  ,we 
tremble for these ,institutions as sure 
rapidly to deteriorate1 whenever the    
notion insinuates itself that there  is 
any life higher than that of active     
beneficence fed from the springs  of    

devotion4  ,my ,sisters in ,christ1 if  
such a thought ever creeps into  your   
heart1 let me pray you instantly to     
reject it1 as totally contrary  to the  
,word of ,god and to the ,mind of       
,christ1 however specious in            
appearance4  ,it is indeed wonderful    
how1 to any person who has the ,holy    
,scriptures in his hand1 the notion of a
 life of exclusive contemplation  and   
devotional exercise can ever approve    
itself4  ,the instances usually  quoted 
in favour of such a life1 ,st4 ,john the
 ,baptist and ,elijah the  ,prophet1 are
 singularly out of point4  ,for while it
 is of course true  that these men did  
not live the ordinary domestic life of  
their times1  that for the great purpose
 of their miraculous vocation they      
withdrew  from home and family ties1 it 
is notoriously untrue that they came    
into  no contact with their fellow-men4 
,they were national reformers2 and      
national reformers cannot do their work 
without coming into rude  collision with

 the sins1 and prejudices1 and errors of
 their day2 when  they were taken from  
the earth1 it was with all the soil and 
dust of  ,earth's conflict upon them4   
,thus these eminent characters lend not 
a  particle of support to the idea that 
a life of entire isolation from our     
fellow-creatures is legitimate or after 
the ,scriptural model4  ,nor does  the  
idea gain any real countenance from the 
example of ,st4 ,john the  ,apostle4    
,true it is that he was not conspicuous 
for activity1 like his  great           
colleagues1 ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul2 
that his character had in it  probably a
 larger share of reflection than of     
will2 but1 whether we look  at the fact 
of his having composed under            
,inspiration the profoundest part  of   
the ,canon of the ,new ,testament1 and  
having presided over the ,seven         
,churches of ,asia1 or at the traditions
 of his bringing the robber  chieftain1 
who had been one of his flock1 to       
repentance1 and of his  ,sermons in old 

age reducing themselves to the one      
precept1 8,little  children1 love one   
another10 it is clear that1 however     
contemplative the  bent of his mind1 he 
did a work of vast importance for his   
fellow-men4  ,indeed he is the great    
human model of the grace of ,charity4   
,and ,i may  remind you that the        
inspired description of this grace 7the 
highest of  all the ,evangelical        
,virtues7 sets it forth almost          
exclusively in its  aspect towards man4 
,charity is the sweetest flower which   
grows in the  garden of the soul4  ,and 
in what spots does this flower flourish8
  ,st4  ,paul's panegyric of ,charity   
plainly shows that its place is in the  
world1  where are oppositions1          
collisions1 provocations1 suspicions2   
8,charity  suffereth long1 and is kind2 
doth not behave itself unseemly1 seeketh
  not her own1 is not easily provoked1  
thinketh no evil2 beareth all  things1  
believeth all things1 hopeth all things1
 endureth all things40    ,but the most 

conclusive of all arguments against a   
life exclusively  contemplative in a    
world of sin and sorrow is the pattern  
of ,our ,blessed  ,lord ,himself4  ,one 
would have thought that at least ,his   
,example might  have saved ,his         
followers from this miserable delusion4 
,if ,his contact  with ,society was the 
closest2 if ,he went about doing good2  
if ,his active  works of mercy did not  
cease even at the moment of ,his        
apprehension2 if  the ,cross itself     
could not silence ,his tongue from words
 of consolation1  nor make ,him         
unmindful of the sorrows of others2 how 
shall any one  profess to follow ,him1  
who on principle ignores the claim which
 the sins  and sufferings of men have   
upon ,him2 how shall any one presume to 
think  that he has found a higher walk  
of the spiritual life than that in which
  ,our ,lord ,himself walked8  ,my      
,sisters in ,christ1 it is because this 
yearning after a complete withdrawal    
from the active works of mercy1 this    

false ideal of a life holier than       
,christ's life1 has unhappily shown     
itself in some of the ,english          
,sisterhoods1 that being here by the    
invitation of your ,superior1 ,i speak  
thus strongly and plainly on the        
subject4  ,be well assured that any     
life1 the plan of which is out of       
conformity with the ,word of ,god and   
the ,example of ,christ1 will be        
attended with the worst results upon the
 character of her who adopts or  seeks  
to adopt it4  ,the mind recoils 7and    
that not at all in virtue of  its       
sinfulness7 from mere contemplation4    
,it was made by ,god for action1  and   
for the reciprocation of sympathy2 and  
mischief is sure to ensue from  any     
attempt to alter the laws of its        
constitution4  ,without healthy         
exercise in ,acts of ,mercy it must grow
 morbid1 narrow1 superstitious1         
fanatical4  ,i know that your rule in   
this ,institution is to devote          
yourselves to works of ,benevolence2    

still it cannot be out of place to  warn
 you against dangers1 which beset       
similar ,communities with your own2  and
 ,i find a trace of your ,founder's     
jealousy of your diversion from  these  
works in the ninth of your ,primary     
,statutes3 8,no ,sister shall be        
required to spend more time in her      
private devotions than her own          
conscience shall lead her to desire2 nor
 shall she spend any time for  this     
purpose to the hindrance 7in the opinion
 of the ,superior7 of the  active work  
of mercy to which she shall be          
dedicated40  ,those who framed  this    
wise rule must have been aware of the   
morbid tendency in ,communities  like   
these to withdraw from the field of     
,active ,benevolence1 under the  plea of
 more entire dedication to ,god4        
,presuming therefore that your work in  
this place1 like all active work1  will 
be beset by many of the distractions and
 hindrances of ordinary  life1 ,i have  
given rules for the cultivation of      

spirituality amidst  common engagements1
 which under ,god's ,blessing may serve 
to keep the  heart true to the ,lord1   
while there is much work upon the hands4
  ,in  conclusion ,i will recapitulate  
these rules2       ,practise the        
,presence of ,god4     ,practise        
submission to ,his ,will in little      
,crosses4     ,practise the doing all   
things for ,christ4    ,thus the        
,patients1 whom you shelter and tend1   
shall feel a calming1  sanctifying      
influence from their temporary          
association with you2 and  shall look   
back with grateful reminiscences to the 
period when1 before  their return to the
 heat and dust and turmoil of ,life1 and
 to the glare  of ,life's temptations1  
they were gathered in under the quiet   
shadow of  ,st4 ,peter's ,home4         
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,the ,,end4                            
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99           ,,gilbert ,,and
 ,,rivington1 ,,printers1 ,,st4         

,,john',s ,,square1 ,,london4           
99 99 99 99 99          ,,works ,,by    
,,the ,,same ,,author4      ,,thoughts  
on ,,personal ,,religion2 being a       
,treatise on the ,christian ,life in    
its two chief ,elements1 ,devotion and  
,practice4  ,sixth ,edition4  ,small    
#hvo4  #fs4 #f;d4    ,an ,,introduction 
to the ,,devotional ,,study of the      
,,holy ,,scriptures4  ,sixth  ,edition4 
,small #hvo4  #cs4 #f;d4    ,the ,,idle 
,,word3 ,short ,religious ,essays upon  
the ,gift of ,speech4  ,new  ,edition1  
enlarged4  ,small #hvo4  #cs4           
,,lectures on the ,,english ,,office of 
the ,,holy ,,communion4  ,second        
,edition4  ,small #hvo4  #fs4           
,,sermons preached on ,different        
,occasions during the last ,twenty      
,years4  ,second ,edition4  #b vols4    
small #hvo4  #ajs4 #f;d4    ,,four      
,,sermons on ,,subjects of the ,,day2   
with a ,preface on the 8,oxford         
,declaration40  ,second ,edition4  #as4 
#f;d4    ,a ,,manual of ,,confirmation2 

with a ,,pastoral ,,letter on ,first    
,communion4  ,fifth ,edition4 #as4 #f;d4
    ,the ,,inspiration of the ,,holy    
,,scriptures4  ,small #hvo4    ,,family 
,,prayers1 arranged on the ,liturgical  
,principle4  ,new ,edition4  ,small     
#hvo4  #cs4    ,,parish ,,sermons       
preached at ,holywell1 ,oxford4         
,,sermons at the ,,bampton ,,lecture1   
#ahej4    ,,socrates3 a ,lecture        
delivered to the ,young ,men's          
,christian ,association4  #as4 #f;d4    
,,short ,,devotional ,,forms1 compiled  
to meet the ,exigencies of a ,busy      
,life4  #as4                            
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,rivingtons1 ,,london ,,and ,,oxford4  
,,footnotes4      #ad  ,this            
illustration1 as well as all the        
thoughts of the paragraph  containing   
it1 is borrowed from the noble ,sermon  
of ,dr4 ,bushnell on  8,unconscious     
,influence40  ,i give his words in      
extenso2 for ,i believe  few grander    
passages can be found anywhere3 8,but   

you must not conclude  that influences  
of this kind are insignificant because  
they are unnoticed  and noiseless4  ,how
 is it in the natural world8  ,behind   
the mere show1  the outward noise1 and  
stir of the world1 nature always        
conceals her hand  of control1 and the  
laws by which she rules4  ,who ever saw 
with the eye1  for example1 or heard    
with the ear1 the exertions of that     
tremendous  astronomic force1 which     
every moment holds the compact of the   
physical  universe together8  ,the      
lightning is1 in fact1 but a mere       
fire-fly spark  in comparison2 but      
because it glares on the clouds1 and    
thunders so  terribly in the air1 and   
rives the tree or rock where it falls1  
many will  be ready to think that it is 
a vastly more potent agent than gravity4
    8,the ,bible calls the good man's   
life a light1 and it is the nature of   
light to flow out spontaneously in all  
directions1 and fill the world          
unconsciously with its beams4  ,so the  

,christian shines1 it would say1 not  so
 much because he will1 as because he is 
a luminous object--not that the  active 
influence of ,christians is made of no  
account in the figure1 but  only that   
this symbol of light has its propriety  
in the fact1 that their  unconscious    
influence is the chief influence1 and   
has the precedence in  its power over   
the world--and yet1 there are many who  
will be ready to  think that light is a 
very tame and feeble instrument1 because
 it is  noiseless4  ,an earthquake1 for 
example1 is to them a much more vigorous
  and effective agency4  ,hear how it   
comes thundering through the solid      
foundations of nature6  ,it rocks a     
whole continent4  ,the noblest works of 
man1 cities1 monuments1 and temples1 are
 in a moment levelled to the  ground1 or
 swallowed down the opening gulfs of    
fire4  ,little do they  think that the  
light of every morning1 the soft1       
genial1 and silent  light1 is an agent  
many times more powerful4  ,but let the 

light of the  morning cease and return  
no more1 let the hour of morning come1  
and bring  with it no dawn2 the outcries
 of a horror-stricken world fill the    
air1  and make1 as it were1 the darkness
 audible4  ,the beasts go wild and      
frantic at the loss of the sun4  ,the   
vegetable growths turn pale and die4  ,a
 chill creeps on1 and frosty winds begin
 to howl across the freezing  earth4    
,colder1 and yet colder is the night4   
,the vital blood at length1  of all     
creatures stops congealed4  ,down goes  
the frost toward the earth's  centre4   
,the heart of the sea is frozen2 nay1   
the earthquakes are  themselves frozen  
in under their fiery caverns4  ,the very
 globe itself1  too1 and all the        
fellow-planets that have lost their sun1
 are to become  mere balls of ice1      
swinging silent in the darkness4  ,such 
is the light1  which revisits us in the 
silence of the morning4  ,it makes no   
shock or  scar4  ,it would not wake an  
infant in his cradle1 and yet it        

perpetually  new creates the world1     
rescuing it each morning as a prey from 
night and  chaos4  ,so the ,christian is
 a light1 even #8the light of the       
world2' and  we must not think that     
because he shines insensibly or         
silently1 as a  mere luminous object1 he
 is therefore powerless4  ,the greatest 
powers are  ever those which lie back of
 the little stirs and commotions of     
nature2  and ,i verily believe that the 
insensible influences of good men are as
  much more potent than what ,i have    
called their voluntary or active1 as    
the great silent powers of nature are of
 greater consequence than her  little   
disturbances and #8tumults4'0    ,i have
 been told that ,dr4 ,bushnell's        
,theology is unsound on the  fundamental
 doctrine of the ,trinity4  ,i have not 
seen any thing to prove  this charge in 
8,the ,new ,life0 7the only volume ,i   
have ever seen of his72  but1 while ,i  
cannot borrow his thoughts without an   
acknowledgment1 ,i am  bound to mention 

the allegation as a caution to those who
 fall in with  his works4  8,the ,new   
,life0 is full of noble sentiments1 most
 eloquently  enforced2 and there is     
great danger now-a-days lest sentiments 
of this  sort should be accepted as     
compounding for want of definite        
dogma--the  only foundation of all true 
,religion4  ,a ,religion of sentiment   
only1 not  holding of a ,creed1 would   
resemble a body of flesh and blood1     
without a  substructure of solid bones4