CHAPTER V.
Changes In His Religious Opinions.
For some time we are getting glimpses of his ways of thought, or rather of his ways of expressing his thoughts. We read, "godly dispositions," "mature unto repentance," "ripe for glory," "comfortable conversations," "springs in barren soil," and the "seeing of spiritual blindness." All these indicate the leaning of his mind, and recall the language of Cromwellian "Saints," and Bunyan's dreams. The strangest part of his proceedings now was the way in which he became "justified." It is hardly necessary to mention that in Calvinistic theology, which forms the basis, if not the superstructure, of the principal part of Evangelical postulates, the body of believers are divided into elect and reprobate, or justified and unconverted. The election or justification is a sentiment coming from what is supposed to be the assurance of an interior spirit that one is to be saved. With them, happy the man or woman who possesses this testimony, and miserable the wretch to whom it is not given. There is for these latter only an everlasting groping in the dark, and a seeking for light, while the insured can go through this vale of tears in exultation and gladness of spirit. Mr. Spencer was not well versed in this particular doctrine, and a poor woman, whom he met one day in Northampton, undertook to bring him to the "true Gospel light" by the "pure milk of the Word." She put together a few of those passages from the New Testament, which are generally misquoted in support of this outlandish theory, and her interpretation convinced Mr. Spencer, so that he felt justified, all at once. This good woman proved to be a great trouble to him afterwards; she would harangue him, once a week, on his unconverted state, even after the assurance. Her letters came regularly, four large pages, badly and closely written; and when she had done canting on spirituality, she would fill up what remained with the scandals of the unconverted among whom she lived, and complaints at the cold treatment she received from many. She became a kind of apostle among the Dissenters, and it was only when she had been living on Mr. Spencer's charity for a few years that he discovered where the strength of her spirit lay. He had reasons for not trusting to the genuineness of her piety, though she kept continually writing from North Shields, where she lived, sometimes in good and sometimes in bad circumstances, since the regeneration of Mr. Spencer. When she received one letter in which her sanctity was made little of, she laid the blame on slanderous tongues, and talked about suicide. Mr. Spencer then dropped the correspondence, and gave her a sum of money to purchase a like favour on her side.
He used to amuse us much by relating the system of self-laudation and encouragement that kept the Evangelicals interested in each other. One day he was describing how a clerical friend of his became justified. He had travelled a good distance, and was pretty tired; the family he thought proper to honour with his holy presence in a certain town, prepared him a most excellent breakfast. He ate with the appetite of a very hungry man, and when a more secular guest would have said, O jam satis, he jumped up from the table and shouted with ecstatic delight, "I am justified." He never doubted of his election to glory after that, as far as Father Ignatius knew. The most extraordinary feature in their modes was, that a kind of telegraphic communication was kept up with each other, all over the country, for the purpose of making the elect aware of the latest addition to their numbers. On finding his brethren were disposed to laugh at the extravagant madness of this kind of religion, he grew quite serious, and said: "They are really in earnest, poor things, and we ought not to laugh at them, only to pray that their earnestness might be properly directed." One will say: Could any man or woman with a grain of common sense, go on thinking and talking this kind of unreality, which we commonly call cant? As a fact, they do, and we have proof positive of it in Mr. Spencer himself. It is astonishing to see a man of his position, good sense, and education, talk and write in the strange way he does, whilst this mood of mind lasted. Not only does he write so; he holds conversations with every one whom he meets about the state of their soul, and those which he calls interesting, others considered very probably the reverse. He also takes soundings of people's spiritual depth, and is seldom consoled at the result. He is satisfied with no one, except two or three of his immediate neighbours who were fed mostly on his bounty or served in his house or garden. He goes at this time (September, 1825) to attend Dr. Blomfield as chaplain through the visitation of the diocese of Chester. He is very zealous throughout, and converses on spiritual subjects with Dissenters of all kinds as well as Churchmen; he does not even leave behind the followers of Joanna Southcote. Some were supposing once, in his presence, that it was impossible for followers of Joanna Southcote, and the like, not to be fully aware that they were being deluded. Father Ignatius said it was not so, and related a peculiar case that he witnessed himself. He happened to be passing through Birmingham (perhaps it was after he became a Catholic), and had occasion to enter a shop there to order something. The shopkeeper asked him if he had heard of the great light that had arisen in these modern times. He said no. "Well then," repeated the shopman, "here, sir, is something to enlighten you," handing him a neatly got up pamphlet. He had not time to glance at the title when his friend behind the counter ran on at a great rate in a speech something to the following effect. That the four Gospels were all figures and myths, that the Epistles were only faint foreshadowings of the real sun of justice that was now at length arisen. The Messias was come in the person of a Mr. Ward, and he would see the truth demonstrated beyond the possibility of a doubt by looking at the Gospel he held in his hand. Whilst the shopman was expressing hopes of converting him, he took the opportunity of looking at the pamphlet, and found that all this new theory of religion was built upon a particular way of printing the text, Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to-WARD'S men. On turning away in disgust from his fruitless remonstrances with this specimen of WARD'S men, he found some of WARD'S women also in the same place; and overheard them exclaiming, "Oh! little England knows what a treasure they have in —— jail." The pretended Messias happened to be in prison for felony at the time. He assured us that these poor creatures were perfectly sincere and earnest in the faith they had in this malefactor.
The characteristic features of the Low Church school, or whatever name the religious bias of Mr. Spencer's mind at this time may be called, are, a certain self-sufficiency and rank spiritual pride. It begins with self and ends with self. From self springs the assurance of salvation, for self's sake, too, and every one must feel himself in this mood before he can rely on himself. When this fancy gets possession of a person's mind, they forthwith turn apostles, borrow the language of inspiration even for table-talk, and no person is in the way of salvation at all who does not completely fall in with the stream of the new flood of ideas this notion brings into the "regenerated" mind. No matter how worthy or great any person may seem to the reprobate world, and did seem to the newly-made "saint" before the assurance, they are now dark, lost, but hopeful if they listen patiently to one half-hour's discourse upon the movements of the Spirit. The vagaries of each mind are in proportion to the imagination, and the facilities for expanding them by giving them expression. But far or near as they may go, self, proud self, is the beginning and end of them all.
The woman who was instrumental in "regenerating" Mr. Spencer writes in one letter to say that she has "no pride," and that no one ever could accuse her of being infected with this passion. At the same time, ay, in the very next sentence, we have wrath and indignation at some of the unregenerate who do not think proper to pay court to her. The sweeping condemnations hurled against two or three worthy clergymen, which opened Mr. Spencer's eyes to the imposition practised upon him, are further evidences of the same spirit. Mr. Spencer's own ways of acting will be a fair sample of this kind of thing. During his visit to Chester in 1825, he lectures the Bishop on several different occasions, and considers himself quite qualified to do so by virtue of the new spirit he has imbibed. One of the conversations he describes thus:—"After dinner we had an animated discussion, in which I took a lead against the field almost. Before going to bed, I had half an hour's private conversation with the Bishop, most interesting on his account. I humbly thank God who has heard my prayers, and made me a lowly instrument in His hands for the good of this already admirable man." In the next sentence he tells us that, in travelling home to Althorp, "I did not read much, but thank God was enabled to keep my mind in godly meditation almost all the way. God knows how blind and perplexed I am still." We have taken the liberty to mark some words in italics in the first quotation, as they show what is confirmed by other passages, too numerous to be quoted, how high he had risen in his own estimation when he considered a bishop benefited by half an hour's conversation with him. He is very hopeful, though, of bringing all the world to his ideas, and says of his family: "God grant me the continuance of that kindness which lies between me and all my family till such time as their hearts may be truly opened to my word." Another reason why we are rather sparing in extracts is a respect for a passage which occurs here in the journal. "I have put down many circumstances in this journal relating to private discussions with persons in religion. Should they fall into strange hands, be they bound in conscience to use them discreetly." We simply quote what is necessary to give a correct notion of the state of his mind. He carried his zeal a little too far betimes, "he went so far as to consider it the duty of a clergyman to call on and rebuke any brother clergyman, whom he might consider negligent in his ministerial office."
Thus a fellow-clergyman writes:—
He got into some difficulties at this time in consequence of reporting to his bishop a clergyman who would not listen to his remonstrances; but mutual explanations succeeded in making everything right. The clergyman in question lived away from his cure, and thought proper to enjoy unclerical, but otherwise harmless, sports. Mr. Spencer, of course, was against this, but did not succeed in imbuing the other with his sentiments. Notwithstanding these notions of self-righteousness, he was far from incurring much censure for officiousness. His character and mode of life gained him so much respect that he could administer even reproof without provoking anger, except where it was too richly deserved. A letter of Dr. Blomfield's to him after this visit, bears out this remark. The Bishop says: ... "I hope you will look back on your visit to Chester with pleasure. You may have the satisfaction of believing that you have done good to many young clergymen, who had an opportunity of conversing with you, if not to many old ones. I was very glad to set before them the example of a young man of rank and good prospects devoted in singleness of heart to the duties of his holy calling."
That his single-mindedness and piety should have thus led him astray is not to be wondered at; for, besides the want of a state where such virtues could be properly cultivated, he had to breathe a religion whose first principles tend directly that way. The exercise of private judgment in what primarily concerns salvation must always lead one astray, because articles of faith are not creatures of human intelligence, neither are they within its compass to understand. He had, of course, a private judgment shackled by contradictions, as every subscriber of the Thirty-nine Articles has. He had an authority to obey which gave a dubious sound, and he was told plainly by the same voice that itself was defectible; the only tie to obedience was the condition on which he discharged his clerical functions; it was natural that he should see through this, from his very single-mindedness, and overlook the conditions while trying to unravel the knots with which they bound him. His birthday reflections this year, 1825, show that he did not begin to retrace his steps. They are as follows:—
"Dec. 21. ... This day sees me 26 years old, and blessed be my Almighty Protector, the last year has greatly advanced me in hope and knowledge of salvation. A reference to my observations last birthday shows me a great alteration in my views. What admirable methods does He employ in bringing sinners to himself? During the last half-year I reckon I must fix the time when by the most unlikely means God has brought me to faith and knowledge of His grace. I solemnly devote the next year and every day and hour and minute of my future life to coming nearer to Him, to learning His ways and word, and to leading others to the same knowledge, in which He has caused me to exult with a joy formerly unknown."