ANECDOTES FROM THE PULPIT
S. ANTHONY AND THE COBBLER
“We :read a pretty story of S. Anthony, which, being in the wilderness, led there a very hard and strait life, insomuch as none at that time did the like.
to whom came a voice from heaven, saying, ‘ Anthony, thou art not so perfect as is a cobbler that dwelleth at Alexandria.’ Anthony, hearing this, rose up. forthwith, and took his staff and went till he came to Alexandria, where he found the cobbler. the cobbler was astonished to see so reverend a father to come into his house. then Anthony said unto him, ‘ Come and tell me thy whole conversation, and how thou spendest thy time.’ ‘ Sir,’
said the cobbler, ‘ as for me, good works I have none, for my life is but simple and slender; I am but a poor cobbler. In the morning, when I arise, I pray for the whole city wherein I dwell, specially for all such neighbors and poor friends as I have. After, I set me at my labor, where I spend the whole day in getting of my living, and keep me from all falsehood; for I hate nothing so much as I do deceitfulness: wherefore, when [make to any man a promise, I keep it and do it truly; and so spend my time poorly with my wife and children, whom I teach and instruct, as far as my wit will serve me, to fear and dread God. this is the sum of my simple life.’
“In this story you see how God loveth those that follow their vocation, and live uprightly without any falsehood in their dealing. this Anthony was a great and holy man, yet this cobbler was as much esteemed before God as he.”
THE DANGER OF PROSPERITY.
“I read once a story of a good bishop, which rode by the way and was weary, being yet far off from any town; therefore seeing a fair house, he went thither, and was very well and honourably received: there were great preparations made for him, and a great banquet; all things were in plenty.
then the man of the house set out his prosperity, and told the bishop what riches he had, in what honors and dignities he was, how’ many fair children he had, what a virtuous wife God had provided for him, so that he had no lack of any manner of thing; he had no trouble nor vexations, neither outward nor inward. Now this holy man, hearing the good estate of that man, called one of his servants, and commanded him to make ready the horses: for the bishop thought that God was not in that house, because there was no temptation there: he took his leave and went his ways. Now when he came a two or three mile off, he remembered his book which he had left behind him; he sent his man back again to fetch that book, and when the servant came again the house was sunken and all that was in it.
Here it appeareth that it is a good thing to have temptation. this man thought himself a jolly fellow, because all things went well with him. But he knew not S. James’ lesson: Beatus qui sufferet tentationem, ‘ Blessed is he that endureth temptation.’ Let us therefore learn here, not to be irksome when God layeth his cross upon us.”
Let us take a long leap of about a century, and we come to Jeremy taylor, another bishop, whom I mention immediately after Latimer because he is apparently such a contrast to that homely divine, while yet in very truth he has a measure of likeness to him as to the point ‘now in hand. they both rejoiced in figure and metaphor, and equally delighled in incident and narrative. true, the one would talk of John and William, and the other of Anaxagoras and Scipio; but actual scenes were the delight of each. In this respect Jeremy taylor may be said to be Latimer turned into Latin. Jeremy taylor is as full of classical allusions as a king’s palace is full of rare treasures, and his language is of the lofty order which more becomes a patrician audience than a popular assembly; but when you come to the essence of things, you see that if Latimer is homely, so also taylor narrates incidents which are homely to him; but his home is among philosophers of Greece and senators of Rome. this being understood, we venture to say that no one used more anecdotes than this splendid poet-preacher. His biographer truly says, — “ It would be hard to point out a branch of learning or of scientific pursuit to which he does not occasionally allude; or
any author of eminence, either ancient or modern, with whom he does not evince himself acquainted. He more than once refers to obscure stories in ancient writers, as if they were of necessity as familiar to all his readers as to himself; as, for instance, he talks of ‘poor Attillius Aviola,’ and again of
‘ the Libyan lion that brake loose into his wilderness and killed two Roman boys.’“ In all this he is eminently select and classical, and therefore I the more freely introduce him here; for there can be no reason why our
anecdotes should all be rustic; we, too, may rifle the treasures of antiquity, and make the heathen contribute to the gospel, even as Hiram of tyre served under Solomon’s direction for the building of the temple of the Lord.
I am no admirer of Taylor’s style in other respects, and his teaching seems to be at times semi-popish; but in this place I have only to deal with him upon one particular, and of that matter he is an admirable example. He lavishes classic stories even as an Asiatic queen bedecks herself with countless pearls. Out of a single sermon I extract the following, which may suffice for our purpose :-
STUDENTS PROGRESSING BACKWARDS,
“Menedemus was wont to say, ‘ that the young boys that went to Athens, the first year were wise men, the :second year philosophers, the third orators, and the fourth were but ‘plebeians, and understood nothing but their own ignorance.’ And just so it happens to some in the progresses of religion; at first they are violent and active, and then they satiate all the appetites of religion: and that which is left is, that they were soon weary, and sat down in displeasure, and return to the world, and dwell in the business of pride or money; and, by this time, they understand that their religion is declined, and passed from the heats and follies of youth to the coldness and infirmities of old age.”
THE PROUD MAN WHO BOASTED OF HIS HUMILITY.
“He was noted for a vain person, who, being overjoyed for the cure (as he thought) of his pride, cried out to his wife, ‘ Cerne, Dionysia, deposui fastum ;’ ‘ Behold, I have laid aside all my pride.’“
DIOOENES AND THE YOUNG MAN.
“Diogenes once spied a young man coming out of a tavern or place of entertainment, who, perceiving himself observed by the philosopher, with some confusion stepped back again, that he might, if possible, preserve·..
his fame. with that severe person. But Diogenes told him, Quanto magis intraveris, tanto magis eris in caupona: ‘ the more you go back, the longer you are in the place where you are ashamed to be seen.’ He that conceals his sin still retains that which he counts his shame and burden.”
(TO BE CONTINUED.)