The Bells are to the whole parish what a Church Organ is to an assembled congregation. They wake up the heart’s affections, and lead us in our praises to God.—But they have a holy use and purpose of still broader character:—They call us to the Church, and tell us it is time for public Prayer, and bid all come who can—They warn, too, those who cannot come, that it is prayer-time now, that they may raise their hearts with us, and wish that they were with us, and send their desires heavenward, and have direct communion with us in our prayers, though absent in the body—They preach to all continually of death and Judgment, of Heaven and Hell,—and while they invite the willing, they warn those who will not come—They remind us all, amid our busy occupations, twice every day, that this is not our continuing city, that we are but pilgrims and sojourners upon earth; and while they warn the slothful Christian, thus continually, to “gird up his loins” and haste heavenwards, they preach to those who never hear another preacher, and tell them of a Judgment to come. Again,—They wake the heart to gladness on all the Holy Feast Days of the Church, loudly calling upon us to “rejoice in the Lord”; and in times of fasting and humiliation,—eloquent by their silence or by their mournful sounds, they call us to penitence and sorrow. Again,—If any of our neighbours, rich or poor, be joined together by Holy Church in marriage, the Bells ring out their cheerful peal of joy, bidding us all to raise up our hearts in thanksgiving with our brethren (whose marriage “represents unto us the mystical union which is betwixt Christ and His Church”)—for that “marriage is honourable in all men,” and “if one member be honoured, all the members rejoice.” Again,—When any is passing out of this life, the “Passing Bell” is tolled, acquainting us with that awful circumstance, warning us that our own time may even now be at hand, and calling upon us to pray for our departing brother, that in this “his hour of death the Good Lord may deliver him,” and “not suffer him, for any pains of death, to fall from God,”—that one and all of us, Minister and people, whether present with our suffering brother or absent from him, may put up to God, in his and in our own behalf, “the Commendatory Prayer for a Sick Person at the point of departure,” which is provided for us in our Prayer Book, at the end of the service for “the Visitation of the Sick.” And when the soul is departed and delivered from this death-bearing body, the Bells ring out in notes of solemn cheerfulness their peal of chastened joy, calling us to thankfulness for our brother’s deliverance from trial and difficulty and peril—this sinful, tempting, ever dangerous world. And when the body of our brother is being carried to its resting place, to be laid up in safety for the Resurrection, and after, too, it is deposited in the tomb, the Bells ring out again their note of praise, bidding us to “sorrow not as those that have no hope,” for that “the soul of him which has departed hence in the Lord, is now in joy and felicity,” and that “this corruptible body shall put on incorruption;”—reminding us that with respect to him we have neither time nor cause for grief—that we must one and all of us return each to the diligent performance of the hard-handed duties of his own position,—and that while we “work out our own salvation, with fear and trembling” with reference to ourselves,—with reference to him we may “go on our way rejoicing.”
Thus holy are the Church Bells—and thus great is their holy usefulness to us. If, therefore, they are used for any common purposes—if upon occasions of mere worldly joy—if when the Church would call us all to gladness, her bells are made to sound the note of sorrow—if their sweet voices should be bought and sold, loudly proclaiming the rich man’s weal or woe, and silent or almost silent about Christ’s poor—then is their usefulness destroyed, their holy purpose abolished or reversed, and a grievous sin is committed against the Church, and against God to Whom they are dedicated.
But of the Ringers—the Bells are dumb without them. It is they who enable the Bells to put forth their solemn sound, and tune them to their various purposes. How holy, therefore, is the Ringers’ office! How deeply religious is the service of such men! How careful should they be about their manner of ringing! How sinful must any carelessness of ringing be! How very sinful any levity of behaviour in the performance of their duties! And,—inasmuch as no one can occupy a holy office without incurring a largely increased responsibility for the attainment of individual holiness; and no one who does not become better by exercising or holding a holy office can fail of becoming worse—how very careful should all who are in authority be about the appointment and the conduct of the Ringers! How very watchful should the Ringers be of their own lives and conversation!
Suggestions—
1. That the Belfry should be carefully kept as clean, and in as good repair (both substantial and ornamental) as any other part of the Church. And that it should be decorated with Texts of Scripture and other appropriate ornaments.—If possible, the Belfry should be open to the body of the Church—or at the most divided from it by a low open skreen: for any other arrangement will be found very inconvenient for the due performance of the Ringers’ duty, and will add to any difficulty which may exist in realizing the sanctity of the place.
2. That no person except the Ringers and other officers of the Church be permitted, at any time, to enter the Belfry, without the leave of the Minister or Churchwardens.
3. That no person except the Ringers be permitted at any time to sound any of the Bells, without the special permission of the Minister.
4. That the Ringers be appointed by the Minister and Churchwardens; and hold their office during good conduct.
5. That the Ringers be regarded as a part of the general Choir, and be placed in all things on an equality with it.
6. That two companies of Ringers be appointed—each company being equal in number to the Bells—the one company being the regular Ringers, performing and being responsible for all regular duty, and enjoying all emoluments—the other being a supplemental company, out of which any vacancy which may occur in the first company shall be filled up, and any member of which may be employed by any member of the first company to supply his place during any necessary absence.