The short hymn which begins the service had closed, and the priest in his wide-sleeved surplice—mäss skjorta—was standing by the altar, while the Candidatus marshalled in the porch a little procession of the christening parties. When all was ready they entered the church, the congregation singing, as they advanced towards the chancel, one of the numerous hymns from the Bede Psalmer—to which little book, unpretending as it is, the people owe nearly all the very small acquaintance with the doctrines of their Church, which they possess.
In our service we recognise but two parties, the priest and the people—the English choir being, theoretically, at all events, merely the leaders of the people’s responses; whereas, in Scandinavia there are three distinct divisions of the service—the prayers of the priest, the responses of the choir, and the hymns of the people; which last are collected and arranged for seasons and occasions, in their Bede Psalmer, a book which, as they all sing more or less, most of them have at their fingers’ ends.
While this was proceeding, the Candidatus threw open the richly-carved doors of the chancel screen and admitted the christening party into the choir, arranging them round the font which stood at its entrance. The whole service was very like our own, except that, after the exhortation, the priest proclaimed his own commission to baptize, in the words of the three last verses in St. Matthew’s gospel, before reading the gospel from St. Mark which is used in the English Church; and afterwards announced the value of the Sacrament itself in the words of St. John—(chap. 3. v. 5, 6). Before the act of baptism, the priest laid his hand on the head of each child, severally, and blessed it; then, after sprinkling it three several times as he pronounced the name of each of the three Persons in the Trinity, he stepped forward to the doors of the choir, and presented the new Christian to the congregation, saying, “In the name of the Holy Trinity, this child is now, through holy baptism, received as a member of the Christian Church, and hath right given him to all the privileges joined therewith: God give His grace, that he, all the days of his life, may fulfil this his baptismal covenant.”
After a general thanksgiving for the new birth of the children, and a general exhortation to the sponsors on the subject of their duties, the congregation struck up another hymn from the Bede Psalmer, while the children were carried round the altar, which does not stand, as in our churches, close to the well, but has a passage left behind it, possibly for this purpose, the sponsors depositing on it their offerings as they passed.
In the meanwhile the priest, kneeling on the altar steps, was invested by the Candidatus and Kyrke Sånger (precentor) with the mässe hacke, a crimson velvet chasuble, embroidered in front with a gold glory surrounding the Holy Name, and behind with a gold floriated cross. He remained kneeling, while the Candidatus, paper in hand, went down the nave, noting those who intended to present themselves at the communion, in order to be certain that none should partake of it who had not previously given their names to the priest for approbation, and attended the early service of confession—called communions-skrift. This was not so very difficult to do, though none of the congregation had left the church; for each intended communicant wore something black or grey about him, in memory of the Lord’s death. When this survey had been completed, the priest rose, and facing the people, intoned the general thanksgiving, and then turning again to the altar, made his confession alone, in the name of his flock, the congregation itself being silent, though the choir, at the occasional pauses, chanted the Kyrie Eleeson. He then placed on the altar the “Oblaten Schalten,” or wafer basket, the silver flagon, and lastly the chalice and patin, which were brought to him with great ceremony, the Candidatus and Kyrke Sånger, who carried them, being attended by the whole choir.
The outer doors of the church were then shut, and the Candidatus in his black gown and cassock having taken his place on the lower step, the priest chanted the Gloria in Excelsis, the choir taking it up after the first sentence.
After the consecration, the communicants were arranged in four divisions; the married men, and the married women, the single men and the single women; these knelt in the centre, while the non-communicants stood round them chanting softly the Agnus Dei, and bowing their heads as the elements were administered to each communicant, which was done individually, as with us.
There was then a general thanksgiving and a Hallelujah by the choir; after which the priest dismissed the congregation with his benediction, making the sign of the cross towards them in the air. This form, which was universal throughout three kingdoms scarcely more than a hundred years ago, has almost entirely disappeared from the Swedish Church, disused rather than forbidden; but many of the old customs which in Sweden have become obsolete, in Norway are religiously kept up. And besides this, politics have something to do with the matter; there is always a great affectation of Danish peculiarities, such as dressing the church with green boughs on Whitsuntide, among those who are not over well affected to Sweden. These and many similar ceremonials retained in Norwegian churches are punishable by fine or deprivation; but the people will have it so, and the priests are very willing to indulge them,—members of Storthing and law-makers as many of them are.
As for theology, the people are profoundly ignorant of that, while the priests themselves, who, nine out of ten, are learned divines,—thanks to the severe examination at Christiania which generally weeds out one half of the candidates every year,—are almost always politicians enough to borrow their churchmanship from Denmark, are just as much Grundtvigites, or Mynsterites, according as their bias is high or low, as if they lived in Copenhagen itself.