John Sterling [pp. 811-823]

yohun Sterlig. 8 I5
cent in the midst of tropic vegetation, It was in June, 1833, and on the
tornadoes, and slaves as yet unworthy banks of the Rhine, that the unripe
of freedom. One hurricane, fiercer aspirant for holy orders met his old
than its fellows, stripped the roof friend and tutor, the Rev. Julius
from the house where Sterling lived, Hare. That worthy gentleman enand whirled about the cottages of the couraged a desire he should rather
negroes as if they had been chaff. have checked, and Sterling was not
Meanwhile, in December, i83 I, Tor- long in arriving at a determination
rijos, the deluded democrat general, to become Mr. Hare's curate at
reaches Spain, runs ashore at Fuen- Hurstmonceaux in Sussex, and wear,
girolawith fifty-five desperadoes like at least, the surplice and stole,
himself, seizes a farm, barricades it, though he had no hood or academiis surrounded, surrenders, is haled cal degree to adorn himself withal.
with his comrades to Malaga, and So on Trinity Sunday of the followwith them all, the rich Irishman in- ing year, he came out of Chichester
cluded, is swiftly fusiladed. "I hear Cathedral a raw deacon, and estabthe sound of that musketry," wrote lished himself with his family in a
Sterling; "it is as if the bullets were modest mansion in a quiet, leafy lane
tearing my own brain." No wonder, ofHurstmonceaux. Verydiligentwas
for to his brain the folly of a wild Sterling in his pastoral duties; but
enterprise was mainly due. the fervor of his zeal soon cooled.
Repentance came; religion was In September he began to have mishis study; and prayer, earnest prayer givings, and in February following
for guidance, arose from his lips as he had quitted the path he had
he sat under the dates and palms, prematurely chosen. The reason asand gazed on the mirror of summer signed was loss of health; but Carseas. Such prayer had been an- lyle guessed shrewdly, and with too
swered more fully if teachers such as much truth, that Sterling was disapColeridge, with his gift of words, pointed even to despair by the church
and Edward Irving, with his gift of whose garment he had spasmodically
tongues, had not already imbued him caught by the hem. The virtue
with a multitude of truths which he expected did not go forth from
were half untruths, and untruths it, and the glimmer of truth which
which were half truths. He believed reached him came through a dense
himself to be "in possession of the cloud of confused writings. The
blessings of Christ's fedemption;" very names of these betokened chaos,
and though he scarcely as yet knew and the twilight that struggled
the elements of Christianity, hebegan through them was sufficient neither
to think of teaching it. It is always to cheer nor to guide. Many pages
the way withpious Protestant youths. of Archdeacon Hare's memoir are
They have vocations topreach before filled with extracts from Sterling's
they are schooled; and what ought letters, and accounts of his favorite
to be taken for presumption is hailed studies at this period. They form a
by their friends as the most signal labyrinth none can thread, where he
proof of grace. So Sterling, wearied wanders to and fro without land of West India life, formed a vague marks, bourn, light, or hope. The
scheme of anti-slavery philanthropy, more he reads the Old Testament,
and turned his face toward Europe the less can he believe in its mi and his thoughts toward the minis- racles; and having no guide who
try of the Established Church. speaks with authority, he applies for